Commonwealth Local Government Forum

Pacific \ 2030 agenda for sustainable development

The global development agenda impacts directly on the work of local government, which is responsible for the delivery of many of the key services that will contribute towards the achievement of global targets. A Global Taskforce, of which CLGF is a member, has worked to ensure greater understanding and recognition of local government’s contribution to meeting global and national development targets. Local government’s engagement with the Agenda 2030 and the new Sustainable Development Goals; efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change; the Addis Ababa Agenda for Action on financing development; Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda, and others is being increasingly recognised. This section provides material on the global development agenda, information on how local government is contributing to global development targets, and information about multilateral and bilateral donor strategies relevant to local government. CLGFs work is informed by global development initiatives which we proactively contribute to on behalf of our members, such as through the Global Taskforce of local and regional governments for post-2015 development agenda towards Habitat III. This includes the 2030 agenda for sustainable development which will guide and inform development priorities over the next 15 years, and Habitat III - the third UN conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development in 2016.

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Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book 2017

A Report aimed at fostering sustainable economic, social and environmental development across the Commonwealth, featuring perspectives from some of the world's leading commentators.

Author: Royal Commownealth Society Publisher: Henley Publication year: 2017


UN and SDGs: A Handbook for Youth

"UN and SDGs: A Handbook for Youth" explores SDGs and the 2030 Agenda from a youth perspective. In the first chapter, it introduces the concept of sustainable development and outlines its historical development through the transition from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to SDGs. The second chapter discusses how youth can be harnessed as a major agent of change in achieving sustainable development, focusing on several pertinent youth issues in Asia and the Pacific. The final chapter introduces the UN system and its regional arm, ESCAP, explaining their role in the successful implementation of SDGs.

Author: UNESCAP Publisher: UNESCAP Publication year: 2017


Local-level finance: improving the accountability and effectiveness of urban development programmes

This paper aims to inform future policy by providing a critical analysis of grassroots finance models. It argues for more locally centred and driven sustainable development but also considers the limitations: What are the critical challenges of participation, scale and the translation of savings into development resources? By concentrating on activities with a high degree of community leadership, this paper looks at the challenges of shaping localised arrangements to fit with structured development programming.

Author: Wayne Shand Publisher: International Institute for Environment and Development IIED Publication year: 2017


The Mobilisation of Sub-National Revenues Is a Decisive Factor in the Realisation of the 2030 Agenda

2015 the global community committed itself to an ambitious programme of reform. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and implementing the resolutions of the Paris climate conference require that great efforts are made – including those of a financial nature. Many states will have to ensure that untapped or barely used sources of income are developed. Sub-national units such as provinces, departments, districts, and cities will play an increasing role in the mobilisation of public revenues. They are also in the forefront with regard to realisation of the global reform agenda, as many of the objectives concern classic areas of activity of local government: schools, basic medical care, local road construction, public transport, construction of social housing, the supply of drinking water and disposal of waste water, refuse collection etc. These services are already the responsibility or co-responsibility of subnational units. The mobilisation of revenues at sub-national level is therefore not only a financial necessity, it is also prudent from a development policy perspective: if the users and funders of a good match, there is a greater likelihood that the preferences of citizens will be observed and the use of funds monitored. In addition, local taxes and levies are often paid by a broad circle of citizens and companies. This serves to strengthen the relationship between governments and the governed. One thing should be clear in this: although many countries will exploit the scope for collecting local taxes and levies in the future, this potential is nevertheless limited. Many sub-national units will remain dependent on transfer payments from the central state. Cities, districts and the middle tier cannot solve the funding problem of the states on their own. However, they can help to place the provision of public services on a broader foundation of legitimacy and, in co-operation with the national level – for example via the exchange of information – improve fiscal policy as a whole. Consequently, they also contribute to overcoming problems of fragile statehood.

Author: Christian von Haldenwang and Armin von Schiller Publisher: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) Publication year: 2017


Local democracy as a substitute for data (and rather a good substitute too)

Everyone seems to want data or more data. Data that helps target the 'right' people with the 'right' things. Data on the billions who suffer deprivations as legitimation for the entire aid and development business. Data to measure and monitor the global goals and targets that governments have agreed to (or hopefully will agree to within the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is also an enthusiasm for mining existing datasets. All this was highlighted by A World That Counts, a report prepared at the request of the UN Secretary General. This suggests that the data revolution can be a revolution for equality.

Author: David Satterthwaite Publisher: IIED Publication year: 2015


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