We wish all our members and readers a very happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year for 2017

 Q&A with CLGF Secretary-General

In June, HM Queen Elizabeth II opened Commonwealth House, a collaborative co-location of three Commonwealth organisations to provide work synergies and present a “joined-up” approach. In an interview with the Commonwealth Secretariat, CLGF Secretary-General Dr Greg Munro talks about his vision for CLGF and Commonwealth collaboration. Read more

CLGF news

If the objective of leaving no one behind as envisaged by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to be achieved, local government must be empowered to  engage all people at the local level, said CLGF Chairperson Cllr Rev Mpho Moruakgomo speaking on the first day of the 2016 South African Local Government Association (SALGA) annual conference in Johannesburg. Read more

Managing urbanisation and the consequences of urban growth continues to be a big challenge for the Pacific island countries and communities. Speaking at a Workshop on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asian and Pacific Cities, organised by UNESCAP, CLGF Pacific Regional Director Karibaiti Taoaba looked at how the Pacific Urban Agenda ties in with the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed in 2015 and the New Urban Agenda agreed in Quito in November 2016. Read more.

The United Cities and Councils of Cameroon (UCCC) has launched a position paper on fiscal decentralisation with the help of CLGF. The document was presented to stakeholders including local governments, development partners and the media at a meeting in Yaounde on 21 November, by UCCC President Dr Emile Andze Andze, CLGF Project Officer Claire Frost, and David Abouem A Tchoyi a consultant to put together the report. Read more

CLGF held a regional meeting on Local government: a partner in achieving the SDGs in East Africa to explore the role of local government in delivering the SDGs. Held in Kampala, Uganda on 6-7 December, the meeting  brought together local government experts from the East African Community (EAC). Delegates discussed common issues facing local government, and made further progress on East African Local Government Forum’s (EALGF) strategic support to greater decentralisation. The event was part of CLGF’s European-Commission-funded programme on ‘Strengthening local government’s role as a partner in development’. Find out about CLGF’s work in the region.

CLGF Board Member Mayor Darrell Bradley, Mayor of Belize City, addressed a special session on building trust at local level during the 17th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Panama City on 3 December. Mayor Bradley emphasised that trust should be at the heart of local democracy and engagement with citizens, citing that recent world events show that many people do not trust the establishment and there is often a lack of confidence in the public sector. Read more

Read the Panama declaration: time for justice, equity, security and trust here

CLGF is working with local authorities and ministries in Zimbabwe to develop a home-grown national citizen’s participation framework aimed at boosting the efficiency of councils. The Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA), in collaboration with a number of ministries and with the support of CLGF and UNDP, held a workshop in Harare on 29-30 November to bring together the main stakeholders and local authorities and hear their experiences and some of lessons they have learnt from good practice on citizens participation developed. Read more

Local government elections roundup

In Trinidad’s local government elections on 29 November, the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) won seven corporations and the United National Congress (UNC), six. They tied for the Sangre Grande corporation. Voter turnout was 34%. Read more, Full results read more

In Jamaica, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won nine of the municipal corporations, while the People’s National Party (PNP) won three in the local government elections, which were held on 28 November. Read more 

Full results can be found here

 Recent publications

Half of humanity now lives in urban areas, and a growing number of cities are leading the way in generating global GDP. However, cities have increasingly become key loci of violence over the last 50 years, which particularly affects the most marginalised. Creating safe and inclusive cities that leave no-one behind, IDS briefing December 2016

CLGF Knowledge Hub

CLGF's new Knowledge Hub contains summaries of and links to resources from CLGF, its members and partners on a range of local government topics including local democracy, finance, service delivery, women, cities and urbanisation, LED, small states and global development agenda. CLGF invites its members and partners to share any knowledge materials or resources that would be of interest to others involved in local government. Please get in touch on knowledgehub@clgf.org.uk

Get in touch: Do you have a news story that would be of interest to others involved in local government? Get in touch with CLGF on enews@clgf.org.uk