Local democracy should focus on broader issues of local governance, including democratic local elections, participation, transparency and a bottom-up approach, according to CLGF Secretary-General Carl Wright. Giving evidence to the Scottish Commission for Local Democracy, Mr Wright said that although models of local democracy were not always replicable, the broad principles of local governance can be applied everywhere. Read More

Local economic development (LED) should be adopted as an approach to development and mainstreamed into the work of local government, according to delegates at a CLGF regional event in Southern Africa which took place on 17-18 March. Participants at the event, including ministers with responsibility for local government, council leaders, local government association representatives and other partners, emphasised the need for a common understanding of LED and an enabling framework. Read More

The key components of what makes successful local economic development (LED) is the focus of a regional conference run by CLGF, UNDP and other partners in southern Africa which opens today. The conference will run from 17-18 March 2014 in Lilongwe, Malawi hosted by the Malawi Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development; it will run alongside the 2014 meeting of the SADC Local Government Ministers Forum. Read More

Following the successful local government elections in Balochistan in December 2013, CLGF is looking at ways to further strengthen local government capacity in Pakistan by providing technical support and facilitate exchange of good practice. Read More

The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) formally recognised the role which developmental local government can play in enhancing the exercise of democratic governance and in the defining and delivery of essential services as well as in promoting economic development. They also backed 2014 as the Year of Developmental Local Government. Read More

The new development goals and targets should be flexible enough to be localised says the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) in a statement in which it is calling on Commonwealth Heads of Government to endorse at their meeting in Sri Lanka this week. Read More