DP Working Group Flyer 2012 (PDF 369 KB - DeLoG

WHY DECENTRALISATION AND LOCAL
GOVERNANCE MATTER FOR DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVE SUPPORT TO DLG WHAT WE DO
While development partners are working towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
new challenges have emerged which threaten the
development opportunities of the poor. Among the
most critical threats are the global fi nancial crisis,
urbanisation, climate change and food security.
According to the Rio+20 outcome document and
the Busan Global Partnership, achieving sustainable
solutions to these challenges requires the involvement
of subnational governments and other relevant local
actors.
Both documents emphasise the role of local governments
in enhancing democratic ownership, accountability
and participation.
Decentralised governments play a crucial role in enabling
local development, assuring equal and
adequate service delivery and thereby improving
livelihoods. Due to their proximity to citizens and
communities, local actors are more likely to have
a better understanding of local needs than central
authorities.
Further, local governments are able to adjust national
and regional development strategies to the realities
of their territory, leading to more effective resource
allocation and improved development results.
The subnational level – including local parliaments,
civil society organisations, media and community
groups – plays a major role in establishing and
nurturing accountability towards citizens and aid
benefi ciaries. Local governments are the logical
actors to bridge the imperatives of upward and
downward accountability.
Decentralisation and local governance (DLG) reforms
are highly political processes. They involve different
government levels and a multitude of actors with different
interests and incentives. Development partner need
to take these political economy dynamics into account
when providing support for DLG.
In order to fully unlock the potential of DLG to achieve
sustainable development results, reforms need to establish
an appropriate legal and institutional framework
and must be embedded coherently in a wider public
sector reform process.
Reforms also need to provide lower tiers of government
with adequate fi nancial resources, ideally through
intergovernmental transfers and access to meaningful
local sources of revenue.
What can development partners do to support the
sustainable development of local governments and
other actors at subnational level?
l Develop the necessary capacities of local
governments to effectively fulfi l their assigned
functions;
l Strengthen sound and transparent public
fi nancial management systems;
l Build effective oversight and performance
assessment systems;
l Secure transparency, accountability and citizen
participation in local development planning;
l Create an enabling environment for local
economic development.
DeLoG aims to improve the development effectiveness
of development partners in the fi eld of DLG through
more harmonised and coordinated interventions.
Our main activities are to
l Act as a platform for DLG practitioners to share
and disseminate knowledge through a website
and newsletters;
l Conduct studies on issues of crucial importance
for the improvement of development effectiveness
in the area of DLG;
l Generate evidence-based advocacy for DLG
in the international development debate;
l Contribute to the design of joint development
partner support strategies;
l Conduct and facilitate joint training for
more effective support to DLG.