Port Vila in Vanuatu is hosting the second Pacific Local Government Symposium which will exchange effective practice, experiences, research and thinking in local government in the region.

The theme of the Symposium, convened by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) is Building Local Government Alliances: for vibrant and resilient local economies and communities in the Pacific. It will highlight the achievements of local government and lessons learnt over the past five years as well as look forward to some of the emerging issues and opportunities for local government in the future.

Some of the key discussions will be around the strength of central-local relations, financing local government, interactions between local and traditional governance systems, and the value of city-to-city partnerships. Other cross-cutting and emerging issues will also be discussed in particular urbanisation, local economic development, climate change and gender.

For the first time the symposium also will bring together ministers responsible for local government from CLGF’s eight Pacific member countries along with New Zealand, Australia and other Pacific island forum countries. A two hour dialogue will be held during the symposium to deliberate on strategies to raise the profile of local government in the region.

The symposium is open to both members and non-members from around the region and internationally, including  ministers of local government, elected local government mayors and leaders, officials from all spheres of government, academics, representatives from civil society, regional/international development organisations, and the private sector.

The first Symposium was held in 2004 in Suva, Fiji and was the catalyst for the development of the current five-year Regional Capacity Building Program (2005-2010) for local government in the region. Download 2004 Symposium Outcomes Report

CLGF Secretary-General carl Wright said: “This symposium will provide a valuable opportunity to take stock of our work in the Pacific region, seek guidance on its future direction and ensure local ownership.

“CLGF is proud of its lead role in the Pacific in marshalling support for strengthening local governance and delivery of essential services. CLGF programmes in the Pacific seek to assist our members in the region to respond to the ne global and other challenges and to encourage the adoption of good practice in local democracy and good governance.”

Alongside the symposium the CLGF Pacific office will

• convene its annual Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) meeting on 11-12 October 2010 to review the proposed CLGF Pacific Strategic Plan for 2011-2015 and member countries three year strategies, training and dialogue on the monitoring and evaluation, and
• hold a  Dissemination Workshop for the CLGF Papua New Guinea Good Practice Scheme will bring together existing PNG and Australian partner councils to share experiences, learning and deepen appreciation and understanding of the challenges and opportunities for local government partnerships in the region.

The Pacific Capital Cities Forum (PCCF) meeting will be held on 12 October 2010. The PCCF is a newly formed network of mayors and clerks of capital cities in the region including Port Moresby, Honiara, Port Vila, and Funafuti.  to promote and strengthen the strategic position of capital cities in the region and their potential to contribute to regional cooperation, economic growth, development and democracy. The group meets to discuss issues of common interest and identify key projects.