Commonwealth Local Government Forum

Calling for increased financing for local governments at Habitat III

20 October 2016

The Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF), of which CLGF is a prominent member, is calling on national governments to commit to finance urban infrastructure and development by creating an enabling environment at global and national levels. 
 

Speaking at a session on localising the SDGs at the third UN Conference of Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, CLGF Secretary-General Dr Greg Munro highlighted some of the key accomplishments of the GTF around greater recognition of local and regional governments as key partners in the implementation of the SDGs. 

He said, “It has become clear that for the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the SDGs to be successfully implemented, they need to be fully localised and local and regional governments, and their associations, need to have the capacity to be engaged with implementation.” 

Emphasising on the importance of localisation of the SDGs, Dr Munro said that it’s vital for local and regional governments to prioritise goals and targets that best respond to the local needs and complement national strategies.  

 “GTF’s global, national, local and regional consultations have demonstrated that the NUA is complimentary to the 2030 Agenda and will actively assist and support SDG implementation. The 2030 Agenda cannot be fully met unless it adopts a multi-stakeholder approach to promote transformative agendas at the local level and encourages strong national commitment to provide adequate legal frameworks and build institutional and financial capacity where required” he added.

CLGF delegation comprising of Secretary-General Dr Greg Munro, Chairperson Rev Mpho Moruakgomo and Deputy Secretary-General Lucy Slack participated in the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments at the third UN Conference of Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, attended by over 600 representatives of local and regional governments to celebrate the adoption of the New Urban Agenda and to commit to play their part in its achievement.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, acknowledged the efforts made over recent years to unite the constituency of local and regional governments, and the work of their international networks in contributing to the implementation of global agendas at local level and in facilitating the exchange of knowledge between cities. He said, “Local governments are now seen as a key partner for progress by their national counterparts, with many adopting the principle of subsidiarity in their countries.” 
 

Secretary General Moon told the Assembly that “mayors governors and councilors are at the forefront of the battle for sustainable development… you are faced with the immediate demands of your people… and you must make the tough decisions to prioritize and manage budgets.” 

GTF is also calling on the international community to embark on a new era of partnership in global governance and renew the relationship between local and regional governments and the UN and for the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments to become a significant and representative mechanism through which local and regional governments can provide political guidance and technical follow-up on the global sustainability agenda.

Read the full statement presented by the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments at Habitat III. 

 

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