Thematic Round Tables and Parallel Sessions
among multiple actors from civil society and the private sector, in order to provide a space for participation. Pierre Bauby (Professor of Political Science at the University Paris 8, France), pointed out the importance of this participatory approach: all actors, NGOs, private sector, etc. must converge in order to ensure universal access to basic services. Also Daniel Chisenga (Mayor of Lusaka, Zambia) highlighted the importance of taking a grassroots approach, “some communities are too large and offering services in these communities is a challenge [...], but we also know that everyone is going to the market and the bus station, so we need to encourage community participation when managing these services�. There is a challenge that still needs to be addressed, as noted by Zineb Adaoui (President of the Regional Court of Accounts, Morocco), who has indicated that we must work with NGOs and associations as collaborators, not as competitors. Another issue highlighted was the lack of funding: transfers to local governments should be increased so they can carry out their tasks effectively. Bachir Kanoute (ENDA executive director and coordinator of OIDP Africa) stated that in some countries the transfer of resources
to local governments is not enough (between 3 and 5% of public resources), a very low proportion if we consider the needs to be met, especially when compared to the average of the OECD countries, in which the ratio often is higher than 25% -30%. Institutional reform is needed, according to Sue Bannister (Co-Author of the African Chapter of GOLD III, South Africa), and it is essential especially in the African case. In this regard, she highlighted the work done by UCLG to rethink regional associations, strengthening democratic processes as the base for better access to services. Finally, summing up the points mentioned by Paul Smoke (NYU professor, United States), we must recognize that there is no single path or a model that guarantees success. However, even from different contexts knowledge can be transferred. As highlighted during the session, there is a significant need for innovation, since the emergence of new forms of management allows for new and improved solutions. It is necessary to stress the political dimension, since democratic instruments encourage discussion on the provision of basic services and help to arrange the priorities of our societies. 21