The UK has committed £4 million to support democratic accountability in parliaments across 18 Commonwealth developing countries. The FCO programme will be managed by a consortium led by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, including the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.

Improving transparency

The new funding will support work with democratic institutions such as national parliaments and local authorities to help improve transparency and foster more stable, democratic societies. The programme will focus on how institutions are accountable and inclusive of all their citizens, and on driving efforts to widen participation by women, minorities and other under-represented groups.

Greater local government participation  

Welcoming the news, CLGF Deputy Secretary-General Lucy Slack said: "This project will provide a platform to make sure that local government leaders are able to participate in national, regional and Commonwealth dialogues on democracy and inclusion, ensuring that there is a local government voice." She continued: "There will also be an opportunity to develop some practical programmatic work in selected countries. It is very much a framework at this stage and we will need to discuss further with the programme team on specific activities that we could propose."

The Inclusive and Accountable Democracy programme will set out guidelines on how parliaments can strengthen their processes. The two-year programme will cover Commonwealth developing countries across Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

In addition to CLGF and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, other consortium partners include the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s UK Branch.

19 April 2018