Strong local government is critical for nation building. Resilient and effective governance and development at the local level provides the foundation for a strong nation, according to delegates at the 2013 Commonwealth Local Government Conference.
In the conference statement, the Kampala declaration on developmental local government, delegates called on national governments and development partners to ensure that developmental local government is fully integrated into the post-2015 development agenda and local government is properly acknowledged as a global partner at the 2013 UN General Assembly.
The Kampala declaration on developmental local government is the outcome of the 2013 Commonwealth Local Government Conference held in Kampala, Uganda from 14-17 May. 
In the statement, delegates mandated CLGF to develop a plan of action to support developmental local government and a new development agenda, in partnership with other development agencies such as the Commonwealth Secretariat and UNDP. CLGF and its members also asked for 2014 to be designated as the year for developmental local government (DLG).
“Local government has a clear comparative advantage in knowing and advocating the real needs of the community and can best take advantage of opportunities in the area of equity and social inclusion in service delivery,” said CLGF Chairperson Mayor Lawrence Yule.
“True decentralisation involves putting local government at the heart of development through the commitment and participation of all stakeholders in the devolution process,” he said.
Some 600 delegates from more than 40 Commonwealth and other countries attended the 2013 Commonwealth Local Government Conference in Kampala, Uganda. The 2013 conference had the theme: Developmental Local Government: Putting Local Government at the heart of development and took place at the Munyonyo Conference Centre, Kampala, Uganda. The CLGC is a high level forum for the discussion of the status of decentralisation around the world with a view to identifying good practice and international knowledge-sharing. The conference is run by the Commonwealth Local Government Froum and this year was hosted by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Local Government  and held at the Munyonyo Conference Centre, kampala, Uganda.