Commonwealth Local Government Conference 2000

First conference marks milstone

Local Government leaders and Ministers from across the Commonwealth met on 13 and 14 September 2000, at the first ever Commonwealth Local Government conference in London's Canary Wharf. To read the documents which were agreed at the Conference, please click on one of the headings on the right.

The conference on partnerships in Governance brought together 20 Ministers of Local Government, as well as leaders of local government associations and elected Mayors, from 36 Commonwealth countries.
Keynote speakers were the Commonwealth Secretary-General the Rt Hon Don McKinnon, and Dr Klaus Töpfer, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. The UK Deputy Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Prescott MP also addressed delegates at a closing reception.

London statement on local government priorities for the new millennium

The conference reaffirmed local government's key role in poverty reduction and development strategies. It backed CLGF as the body supporting democratic local governance in the Commonwealth. Priorities for local government that delegates highlighted included:

localisation and decentralisation.
new sustainable development strategies that will tackle poverty and deprivation.
using the Commonwealth as a framework for partnership and joint working, through CLGF.

Conference plan for good local governance:

Though there is no single model of local government in the Commonwealth, effective, elected, local government is the cornerstone of democracy.
Good governance should strive for democratic renewal and public participation, to encourage greater community involvement in local government.
Local government should be inclusive and sensitive to the needs of vulnerable groups, it should take action to promote gender equality to implement Commonwealth targets, be committed to race equality, and the promotion of equal opportunities in general.
Open local government, which is accountable and transparent.
Modernisation and innovation are vital for responsive local government in the new millennium.
Good local government entails partnership between spheres of government and with other sectors, with structures to ensure good communications and effective working between spheres of government.
Local government must be supported by strong national and regional associations of local government to ensure it has a strong voice.

Conference message to high level review

Modernising the Commonwealth should enhance co-operation among the different spheres of government and give formal recognition to the status of Local Government and to the vital role which local government plays in development, and in dealing with post conflict situations and disaster management. The Review may accordingly wish to address the institutional relationship between the central, provincial and local spheres of government in the pursuit of the Commonwealth's mandate.
The Review may wish to consider further how the role of the CLGF, as an important Commonwealth organisation for strengthening action among Commonwealth member states on local government structures, and in view of its growing role, can be endowed with the necessary capacity in order to respond to member needs in an effective and efficient way, and is resourced through the appropriate channels.

A report from the Commonwealth Local Government 2000 Conference can be dowloaded here.