As we start the new year we are looking forward and making plans for a busy year, building on the successes of 2023, and positioning CLGF and our members to continue to be a strong voice for local government in the Commonwealth and globally. 

Implementing conference outcomes

We are looking forward to working with our members and other relevant stakeholders to implement the outcomes of the Commonwealth Local Government Conference (CLGC23), held in Rwanda in November 2023. The Kigali Declaration on Building Local Resilience across the Commonwealth will guide our work planning in 2024; our programmes will reflect the importance of a greater focus on building resilience, particularly with respect to the climate crisis; economic development and finance; and we are planning new initiatives to champion local leadership in the Commonwealth and to strengthen learning and cooperation between cities and communities to further underpin resilient local government. The Declaration will also support our advocacy throughout the year and ensure that the voice of Commonwealth local government is reflected in key policy debates in the Commonwealth and beyond.

Increasing women in local government

More than 4 billion people globally in 2024 will be going to the polls in elections at all levels including the local level. Through the Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network, CLGF will continue its support to increase the number of women in local leadership through advocacy and training, including through the roll out of the Women as Local Legislators online tools. In June 2024 CLGF will be bringing members of the ComWLGN together in person at an event in Asia to exchange good practice and to agree a work plan for the rest of the year.

Localism for progress

This year will also see a number of major opportunities for CLGF to advocate for local government’s central role as an actor in development and to highlight the importance of localisation as a means of accelerating progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Summit for the Future, organised by the UN in September 2024 will consider ways to lay the foundations for more effective global cooperation that can deal with today’s challenges as well as new threats in the future and as part of the Global Taskforce, CLGF will ensure that this discussion reflects the needs of our members.

CHOGM 2024

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Samoa 21-25 October, will be focused on One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth, and we will share the outcomes of the CLGC23 to ensure that the role of local government in ensuring resilient communities is reflected in the agenda. CLGF will also be feeding into the World Urban Forum It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities, 4-8 November 2024 and supporting the local government and Municipal Authorities group at COP29, Baku, 1–24 Nov 2024.

Your priorities

As a membership organisation we look forward to hearing from you and to reflecting the priorities that you have. In Kigali we launched our regular member survey, and we are currently analysing the results. We will feed these back here and your recommendations will guide our upcoming strategic plan. Our members are the lifeblood of the organisation, and we look forward to working closely with you all to have impact across the Commonwealth.