Knowledge
Lessons Learnt from Previous Local Sustainability Efforts to Inform Local Action for the Sustainable Development Goals
This paper aims to inform local action for the SDGs by combining lessons learnt from the application of a previous major local sustainability agenda, the Local Agenda 21 (LA21). It identifies enablers and constraints to the key elements of LA21. The availability of reliable resources, supportive planning and policymaking practice, competent local actors, and trust between local actors were found to be the most frequent enablers of local sustainability processes in the context of LA21. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of the findings for SDGs implementation at the local level.
Authors: Dianty Ningrum, Shirin Malekpour, Rob Raven, Enayat A. Moallemi
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.
Publication Date: 2022
Copyright: Elsevier Ltd.
UCLG Local and Regional Governments' Access to EU Innovative Development Financing
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and PLATFORMA, the pan-European coalition of local and regional governments, map the innovative EU financial mechanisms available to support the development and decentralised cooperation activities of local and regional governments (LRGs). They identify current and future opportunities, constraints, and modalities of access for LRGs. The emphasis of this joint study is on the Global South and on the EU Southern Neighbourhood. Lastly, it gives recommendations on how to best access and engage in development programming processes in the context of the EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027.
Authors: Jamie Simpson, Euan Crispin, Triple Line Consulting Ltd
Publisher: UCLG
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: UCLG
Facilitator and Organizer Guide: Gender-Responsive Local Economic Development: Basic Level Course for Local Government Officials
The facilitator and organiser guide "Gender-responsive local economic development planning and implementation" was developed as part of the Inclusive and Equitable Local Economic Development Program (IELD). It aims to increase the capacity of local and regional governments for gender-equitable local economic development policies, interventions, and public and private sector investments. The basic level course, co-implemented by UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women, focuses on public and private local investments as well as local economic planning and implementation.
Authors: UNCDF, UNDP and UN Women
Publisher: UNDP
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: UNDP
Report on Sustainable Competitiveness of Cities Worldwide (2020-2021)
The fifth annual report from the cooperative research project by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and UN-Habitat focuses on sustainable urban competitiveness, urban land and urban finance. It aims to promote the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda through the assessment of urban competitiveness. This edition of the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (GUCR) provides an indicator system for the economic and sustainable competitiveness of more than 1000 cities.
Authors: Ni Pengfei, Marco Kamiya, Guo Jing, Zhang Yi et al.
Publisher: National Academy of Economic Strategy, CASS, UN-Habitat
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: National Academy of Economic Strategy, CASS, UN-Habitat
Promoting Peace and Inclusive Governance in the Philippines
Staff members of Mindanao State University (MSU) are involved in implementing training for the self-governing political entity Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and its Local Government Units. The Hague Academy for Local Governance set up a training of trainers programme to strengthen the capacities on inclusive governance and sustainable peace of the eighteen participating professors and staff members. The aim is to create a better understanding of how local governance can foster sustainable peace. In its second round of training, the focus is on Gender and Inclusivity. In this article, two participants give insights into the transformative power of inclusive policies.
Author: The Hague Academy for Local Governance
Publisher: The Hague Academy for Local Governance
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: The Hague Academy for Local Governance
Localization Advocacy Report: Policy Briefs and Durable Solutions
This policy brief is the output report of a workshop that brought together 147 organisations in Turkey. It highlights different aspects of social cohesion, economic empowerment, voluntary return and resettlement of refugees and migrants in Turkey and presents policy recommendations. Further, the document underlines how localisation promises more sustainable, cost-effective, and cultural-sensitive implementation of humanitarian responses. The policy brief has been compiled from the results of a workshop funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) as part of the “Support to Local Civil Society to Strengthen Inclusive Durable Solutions for Displacement Affected Populations in Turkey” project.
Author: WATAN Foundation
Publisher: WATAN Foundation
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: WATAN Foundation
Multilevel Governance and COVID-19 Emergency Coordination – Emergency Governance for Cities and Regions
This Analytics Note is the fourth part of a series by the Emergency Governance Initiative (EGI), a joint project by Metropolis, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and LSE Cities. The publication combines the results of case study analysis, desktop research and workshops on multilevel governance and emergency coordination during the COVID-19 pandemic. In complex emergencies, pre-existing patterns of decentralisation determine the subnational governments' ability to influence emergency response strategies. There is evidence that sectors, such as health and economic development tend to become more centralised. Others, such as security and environment, tend to maintain a decentralised approach.
Author: UCLG, Metropolis, LSE cities
Publisher: UCLG, Metropolis, LSE cities
Publication date: 2021
Copywrite: UCLG, Metropolis, LSE cities
Fiscal Federalism 2022: Making Decentralisation Work
The publication Fiscal Federalism 2022 presents recent trends and policies in intergovernmental fiscal relations and subnational government. It highlights good practices in fiscal federalism; the design of fiscal equalisation systems; measuring subnational tax and spending autonomy; promoting public sector performance across levels of government; digitalisation challenges and opportunities; the role of subnational accounting and insolvency frameworks; funding and financing of local government public investment; and early lessons from the COVID-19 crisis for intergovernmental fiscal relations.
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: OECD
Building Climate Resilient and Sustainable Cities for All
People living in informal settlements are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change due to their exposure and physical, social, and economic vulnerability. Addressing urban inequality and informality musth therefore start by building city resilience, unlocking mitigation potential, and making urbanisation sustainable for all. This report sets out how climate change and informality are intertwined and cause of urban poverty. Cities Alliance' approaches and projects described here also provide key evidence of the challenges and opportunities of tackling climate change and bolstering adaptation where it matters most: in urban informal settlements in rapidly urbanising countries.
Author: Cities Alliance
Publisher: Cities Alliance
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: Cities Alliance
The Missing Link: Improving Urban Informal Resilience Through Climate Action
Resilience is often defined as the ability of “individuals, communities and states and their institutions to absorb and recover from shocks, whilst positively adapting and transforming their structures and means for living in the face of long-term changes and uncertainty'' (OECD, 2013). Resilience is usually associated with the city. Yet the places where communities live, work and take care of each other do not end at a city’s borders. Traditional city boundaries are becoming less meaningful and coordination between diverse areas and levels of government at the metropolitan level is more essential than ever to ensure sustainable places, services and infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need to rethink current urban governance systems. This paper is pledging for concerted efforts from the international community and by governments in line with funds in order to build more sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities and building stronger urban-rural linkages.
Author: Pietro Ceppi
Publisher: Urban Resilience Hub, UN-Habitat
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: Urban Resilience Hub, UN-Habitat