UCLG World Council adopts policy paper on development cooperation

During the UCLG World Council held in Dakar (Senegal) from 4 to 8 December, the World Organisation adopted its Policy Paper on Local Government and Development Cooperation, drawn up by its Committee on Development and Cooperation and its Capacity and Institution Building Working Group.

The Policy Paper aims at explaining the role of local governments in development cooperation and it reaches key recommendations for both UCLG membership and international partners.

The main recommendations addressed to the international community of the paper are to recognize local government cooperation as a positive public policy, promote more and better decentralisation, give recognition of local governments as actors for development, increase substantially the volume of financial support for LG development cooperation programmes, and the number and range of governments and funders in this sector.

It was agreed that the CIB Working Group develops an action plan for the implementation and dissemination of the Paper to ensure a sound lobby strategy, which can lead to investments of donors in strengthening the capacity of local governments and decentralization.

Please find below the links to the policy statement, the executive summary and the full policy paper:

The UCLG policy statement on Local Government and Development Cooperation

The executive summary of the Policy Paper on Local Government and Development Cooperation