DeLoG Annual Meeting 2024: Strengthening Partnerships for Effective Local Governance

DeLoG Annual Meeting 2024: Strengthening Partnerships for Effective Local Governance

 

The Development Partners Network on Decentralisation and Local Governance (DeLoG) held its 20th Annual Meeting from May 27-29, 2024, in Barcelona, Spain. Hosted by Diputació Barcelona, the event brought together DeLoG members and partners to discuss strategic priorities, share knowledge, and foster collaboration.

This year's meeting marked a significant milestone as DeLoG stabilized its transition to UNCDF as the new Secretariat and agreed on the DeLoG Strategy 2024-2027. Participants engaged in fruitful discussions on the network's strategic positioning and evolving approaches to decentralization and local governance.

DeLoG Annual Meeting 2024: Strengthening Partnerships for Effective Local Governance

The Development Partners Network on Decentralisation and Local Governance (DeLoG) held its 20th Annual Meeting from May 27-29, 2024, in Barcelona, Spain. Hosted by Diputació Barcelona, the event brought together DeLoG members and partners to discuss strategic priorities, share knowledge, and foster collaboration.

This year's meeting marked a significant milestone as DeLoG stabilized its transition to UNCDF as the new Secretariat and agreed on the DeLoG Strategy 2024-2027. Participants engaged in fruitful discussions on the network's strategic positioning and evolving approaches to decentralization and local governance.

Key Highlights:

  1. Joint Meeting with CIB: For the second consecutive year, DeLoG joined forces with the UCLG Capacity and Institution Building (CIB) Working Group, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between development partners and local government practitioners.
  2. Strategic Focus: Members discussed DeLoG's role in supporting decentralization and local governance, as well as its contributions to key international agendas such as the Pact for the Future (2024) and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (2025).
  3. Working Group Updates: Participants shared insights and best practices across DeLoG's thematic areas: Local Finance, Gender, Local Democracy, and Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Recovery. A new Working Group on Local Resilience was also proposed.
  4. Policy Influence: The need for a stronger, joint policy narrative towards the international development agenda was recognized, with a focus on local democracy and the role of local governments in crisis management and recovery.
  5. Enhanced Partnerships: Members agreed to strengthen engagement with key stakeholders, including reaffirming commitments from existing members and reaching out to potential new partners.

The meeting concluded with a call for concrete actions to advance DeLoG's mission, including developing terms of reference for the new Local Resilience Working Group and creating targeted communication materials to engage with major development actors.

As DeLoG moves forward with its new strategy, the network remains committed to improving development effectiveness in decentralization and local governance, fostering knowledge exchange, and amplifying the voice of local governments on the global stage.