The first set of regional trainings of the ARIAL programme -  a pan-ACP initiative, funded by the European Union, - took place in November and December 2011. Local government practitioners from Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific local government associations took part in training programmes to learn more about European development policy, in particularly the ways in which local government could be a more proactive partner in helping to influence how development finance is spent in their countries, and to understand better how to access resources which are available.

CLGF is a partner in the ARIAL project to support local government associations and regional/continental local government associations to better represent the needs of their members across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. CLGF is working with VNGI, the Netherlands’ Local Government Association and a range of implementing partners including the University of the West Indies, The Municipal Development Partnership, and the Forum of the Peoples of the South Pacific International.

The workshop was timely, informative and it provided the resource that CALGA needs in order to be a more strategic and effective partner within the region as we develop local government and as we solicit and work with donor partners to build local government capacity,” said April Crowther-Gow, outgoing President CALGA

CLGF has particular responsibility for the Caribbean and Pacific. In the Pacific efforts are focusing around strengthening capacity at the national level with support being made available to two new associations of local government in Kiribati and Vanuatu. In the Caribbean the programme is assisting the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities (CALGA), the regional association.

The project has also recently appointed  an ew coordinator for CALGA following recent interviews in Trinidad and Tobago.  Additional staff capacity in the regions means that the momentum from policy and training events such as these can be capitalised on and future work will include capacity building to help improve communication, lobbying and advocacy skills for LGAs and RLGAs.

For further information see the ARIAL website.