UCLG Position Paper v_2 (eng)
22/12/09
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Support Paper on Aid Effectiveness and Local Government
development policies and programs, such as national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP). Civil society has strongly criticized the fact that the process of developing PRSPs has not been sufficiently inclusive and has not recognized the important role played by non-state actors in contributing to poverty reduction at the country level. This oversight has underlined the importance of local governments and civil society to work together in raising awareness and building recognition of the roles they have to play as development actors.
of elected officials that are accountable to both their citizens as well as to senior levels of government, local governments must maintain the trust and confidence of the electorate and operate with a high degree of transparency. As the order of government closest to the people, the municipal sector has an acute awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing society. Local governments have deep roots into the social, political and economic fabric of communities, which has placed them in an advantageous position to act as convenors of partners in the community such as civil society, policy makers, power brokers, the private sector and other influential stakeholders. Local governments are uniquely positioned to promote democracy, contribute to poverty reduction, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to empower citizens to improve the quality of life in their communities.
The historical lack of engagement of local governments in the development dialogue has not gone unnoticed by the European Commission which recently issued an official Communication on local authorities14 and their role as development actors. The Communication has two objectives: firstly, it seeks to recognize the significant expertise of local authorities, not only in terms of service delivery but also as catalysts for change, conflict prevention, decentralization and confidence-building in the development process; secondly, it attempts to put in place a process for building a strategy that will allow local authorities to more systematically participate in the design and implementation of development activities. To this end, the European Commission is taking the lead amongst the international development community in encouraging the engagement of local authorities in a more coordinated and structured approach to shaping development policy and in coordinating local governments’ involvement in program implementation15. 3.
Around the world, local governments have demonstrated that they can provide an effective decision-making framework for establishing social development priorities by fostering an environment of collaboration and dialogue with their citizens. This collaboration enhances the capacity of local governments to engage marginalized groups, particularly women and youth, in municipal decision-making processes that contribute to the formulation of more inclusive public policies and programs. By enabling otherwise disenfranchised stakeholders to participate in shaping local development priorities and influence decisionmaking, local governments have the capacity to design services that are more relevant and appropriate to the needs of all their citizens. This is genuine local ownership.
Local Governments as Development Actors
Although local government is a specific order of government, international organizations consider local governments as part of civil society. However, being part of the State, local governments are characterized by a level of legitimacy and responsibility that is not shared by other development actors. As democratic institutions comprised
Box 1 – Local ownership and social mobilization in Guatemala The Government of Guatemala introduced new legislation in 2002 that aims to stimulate the participation of all communities – including indigenous – in local government. The legislation regulates the process of decentralization, recognizing indigenous identity and the right to preserve and strengthen indigenous forms of local authority. If correctly applied, the framework will eventually allow indigenous communities to directly manage development funds earmarked to their communities,
14 The European Commission uses the term Local Authority to include the large variety of sub-national levels and branches of government i.e. municipalities, communities, districts, counties, provinces, regions etc. Concerning development cooperation there is substantial heterogeneity in the mandate, finance and functions at each level and within each level. 15 European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Local Authorities: Actors for Development, Brussels, 2008, COM (2008) 626 Final.
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