Ahead of the start of the session of the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Group's on Local and Regional Governments held their third and final meeting with the UN Secretary-General. At the meeting they presented their global strategy to the Secretary-General, with an action plan for enhanced local and regional governments’ engagement in UN processes to deliver and localise Our Common Agenda. 

The Advisory Group is composed of 20 members, including 15 local and regional government representatives that were nominated by the Global Taskforce, and five representatives from national governments. The Group is co-chaired by the President of the Nouakchott region and the State Secretary for Migration of Spain; and CLGF’s Chairperson, Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City is one of the members of the Committee. 

The mayors had a positive interaction with the Secretary-General and his team. They highlighted local and regional government’s role as guardians of public trust, and the role that they play in ensuring equality and resilience through public services and social protection. They also reiterated the Global Taskforce’s key ask which is for structural integration into global decision-making processes to achieve transformative change. They emphasised that this requires a specific status for local and regional government in decision-making forums, including the UN and looked forward to the Pact for the future recognising this.

Following the Summit of the Future, the final Pact for the Future, which was adopted by member states in New York included this call, although in the section on implementation rather than governance, which would have better reflected the nature of our constituency of political actors as a level of government.

Important step forward 

This remains an important step forward for local government and we look forward to building on this open door to agree a mechanism for closer engagement.

Action 55. We will strengthen our partnerships to deliver on existing commitments and address new and emerging challenges.

83. We recognise the importance of the United Nations’ engagement with national parliaments and relevant stakeholders, while preserving the intergovernmental character of the Organisation. The challenges we face require cooperation not only across borders but also across the whole of society. Our efforts must involve Governments as well as parliaments, the United Nations system and other international institutions, local authorities, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, business and the private sector, faith-based organisations, the scientific and academic communities, and all people to ensure an effective response to our common challenges.

(e) Request the Secretary-General to provide recommendations on how engagement with local and regional authorities could advance the 2030 Agenda, particularly the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, by the end of the seventy-ninth session for Member States’ consideration.

Besides these specific paragraphs, there are other key references to local government and priorities including housing, care and gender in the Pact for the Future. Although the language in the Pact may not fully reflect the level of ambition we hoped for as a Global Taskforce, the opportunities opened up by this wording and the Advisory Committee, as well as other retained language are an excellent foundation to strengthen our role in the multi-lateral system and to build towards the World Social Summit and other key global policy debates. We look forward to ensuring that CLGF member priorities are promoted.