Commonwealth Local Government Forum

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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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


Making Politics Work for Development: Harnessing Transparency and Citizen Engagement

Too often, government leaders fail to adopt and implement policies that they know are necessary for sustained economic development. Political constraints can prevent leaders from following sound technical advice, even when leaders have the best of intentions. Making Politics Work for Development: Harnessing Transparency and Citizen Engagement focuses on two forces—citizen engagement and transparency—that hold the key to solving government failures by shaping how political markets function.

Author: Stuti Khemani et al Publisher: World Bank Publication year: 2016


Local government 2030: achieving the vision - conference background paper 

Background discussion for Commonwealth Local Government Conference 2015.  CLGF commissioned two “thinkpieces” Local government 2030 achieving the vision – the role of local democracy and good governance and Local government 2030 achieving the vision – the importance of local government in economic development and cities as engines of economic growth

Author: Lucy Slack, Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Joydeep Guha, Sue Bannister and Michael Sutcliffe Publisher: CLGF Publication year: 2015


Resource guide on decentralisation and local government

This resource guide provides practical guidance for designing, implementing and evaluating decentralisation reforms and local government practices to ensure they are as effective as possible. It also synthesises and presents current debates on the impact of decentralisation and local government on poverty reduction, service delivery and conflict as well as providing links to cutting-edge research and recent case studies.

Author: Zoe Scott and Munawwar Alam Publisher: Commonwealth Secretariat Publication year: 2011


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