UCLG Position Paper v_2 (eng)
22/12/09
18:13
PĂĄgina 24
Support Paper on Aid Effectiveness and Local Government
development planning and policy discussions. Following the lobbying efforts of local governments in Europe, the European Commission is encouraging greater involvement of local governments in development cooperation, based on the realization that local governments are strategically positioned to contribute to reducing poverty and mainstream democratic governance18. Thanks to a sustained effort on the part of UCLG, local government has been invited to participate in the OECD/DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness and the United Nations Development Cooperation Forum. These policy forums will provide local governments with the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience in international development with other development practitioners and to demonstrate their value added as development actors. Through constructive engagement in these policy forums, local governments will be able to build valuable alliances with other stakeholders, strengthen their overall effectiveness as development actors.
approaches to cooperation, and in the spirit of mutual accountability, planning and monitoring is done together annually with the partners’ local authority officers or elected representatives. Through a peerreview process, the development assistance has increased transparency and accountability in local government and has produced positive results in the area of environmental sustainability. Source: case study 10
•
Local governments should commit to increasing the predictability, transparency and accountability of development assistance for strengthening local governments. Example: Through the CIB Working Group, northern and southern local government associations have agreed to work toward a code of ethics reinforcing mutual accountability and transparency to each other as partners, to their constituents and to donors.
5.
While these accomplishments represent significant progress, it is not sufficient. It must also be accompanied by policies that strengthen political, administrative and fiscal decentralization that support the devolution of responsibilities, as well as the financial resources, to local governments so that they can play a leadership role in promoting development. The absence of a clear policy framework on decentralization can significantly impede inter-governmental cooperation and lead to a more fragmented approach to development. Local governments are on the front lines in combating many development challenges, yet in the majority of cases they are not involved in shaping development strategies. This must change if aid is to become truly effective.
Conclusions: Localizing the Aid Effectiveness Agenda
The challenges that lie ahead for local governments are many. Whether it is meeting the pressures of rapid urbanization, advancing decentralization or mobilizing the enormous investments required to finance local infrastructure, these are tasks that are beyond the means and scope of responsibilities of many local governments. Solutions to these challenges can only be found through a collaborative effort that involves all levels of government, the private sector, civil society and international funding organizations. Local governments are uniquely positioned to create the space for citizens and community leaders to participate in decision making as a way to strengthen local ownership in the development process.
Local governments are an important partner for national governments and donors and their collaboration is essential if countries hope to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Local governments occupy a critical niche in the development of a country. They deliver essential services which respond to basic human needs and they provide a vehicle to allow the collective concerns of a community to be heard and prioritized which makes for more inclusive and effective development. Empowering local governments to fulfill their potential as development actors and allocating the resources required to lead change and strengthen local governance must be given the priority it deserves by both national governments and international donors.
An important first step to enable local governments to play this facilitating role is for national governments and donors to recognize them as key and legitimate agents of local development and welcome their participation in 18 European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Local Authorities: Actors for Development, Brussels, 2008, COM (2008) 626 Final.
24