In the framework of the third session of our DeLoG in DiaLoGue series, members and partners came together to discuss the risks and benefits of digitalisation for women’s political participation at the local level. On 29th September, Dorothee Segiet and Laura Hartmann elaborated on digital transformation and (local) democracy, as well the issue of online gender-based violence (OGBV). Maëlle Salzinger, junior policy officer at ECDPM, presented key findings from the study ‘From hashtags to the streets: digital technologies for women’s political activism. Examples from Africa’, which tackles the issue of the ‘digital gender divide’ in rural areas.

This year’s Urban October took place under the theme ‘Act Local to Go Global’: Partners and stakeholders discussed together how to empower local and regional governments to create greener and sustainable cities. Participants and stakeholders focused on the problem of growing inequality and challenges in cities. DeLoG  together with UN-Habitat and Slum Dwellers International hosted the online event ‘DeLoG in DiaLoGue: Barriers to Women’s Participation in Informal Urban Settlements’ on 25th October 2022 to discuss how women’s political and cultural participation can contribute to more inclusive and safe cities and informal settlements, focusing on the case of Kenya.  

On 12th of August LPSA and DeLoG hosted a webinar on the state of knowledge on decentralisation, multilevel governance, and local development datasets. Leading researchers presented their work, followed by a discussion on how governance indicators can better inform policymakers and practitioners. During the webinar, Kelly McMann (Case Western Reserve University; USA) Paolo Dardanelli (University of Kent; UK) and Alexander Bastianen (University of Lausanne) elaborated on their indices, which can be used as a tool for policymakers and practitioners, to hint where improvements can be made in terms of autonomy and decentralisation. 

On 10th October 2022, LPSA – The Local Public Sector Alliance – and DeLoG signed a cooperation agreement to create a better understanding of how decentralisation reforms impact people’s life. The agreement was signed by Jamie Boex, the Executive Director of LPSA, and the Coordinator of DeLoG, Christian Luy.  The cooperation agreement aims to strengthen the voice and knowledge exchange about DLG reform, as well to highlight synergies of collaboration. The event was also attended by Serdar Yilmaz, Chairman of the LPSA Board of Advisors, as well as Benjamin Oloyede of the DeLoG Secretariat. 

On 10th August, UCLG Africa celebrated the African Decentralisation and Local Development Day under the theme ‘Making food security a key priority for development and territorial cooperation’, highlighting the importance of food security during the Covid-19 pandemic. The African Charter of Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development, adopted in June 2014, institutes the commemoration of the African Decentralization and Local Development Day each year. The aim is to share experiences and good practices among the member states of the African Union. The event ‘is a key moment in which local authorities express themselves first and foremost and through which they aspire to build and implement important and consequent development programs […]’, explains Fatimetou Abdel Malick, president of UCLG Africa.

On 19th September, the Administrator of USAID, Samantha Power, announced a new locally-led development initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa – the Africa Localisation Initiative. The new regional approach will be similar to USAID’s Centroamérica Local Initiative and aims to direct more funding to local organisations on the African continent and elevate their leadership. More details about the African Localisation Initiative will be announced in the next months.  

UNDP launched the Gender Equality Strategy 2022 – 2025 to support countries' and communities' progress on gender equality, women’s empowerment and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve the plan, UNDP will pursue three enablers: finance, digitalisation and innovation. In particular, UNDP will assist to respond to gender-based violence, promote women’s leadership in institutions and boost investment for gender equality. 

On 10th October the NALAS Digitalisation Working Group was established to boost the digitalisation of cities. NALAS in cooperation with the Centre for Public Administration Research (KDZ)– will bring together those responsible for digitalisation in the local government associations and cities to analyse digital challenges, share experiences and elaborate on potentials for Southeast-Europe local governments to support the digitalization of local public services and develop “smart cities”. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the need for digitalisation of local governments and public services has increased significantly.  

The third edition of the OECD-UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI) took place on 24th October in the OECD headquarter in Paris. The hybrid conference aimed to increase knowledge on multi-level governance and subnational finance around the world. The conference helps to promote dialogue between international organisations and governments as well as to monitor the implementation of the SDGs. Other objectives are to support policymaking and help enhance multi-level governance and decentralisation frameworks. The SNG-WOFI was first launched in November 2017, as a joint endeavour of OECD and UCLG. This year’s edition was supported by several partners, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the French Development Agency (AFD), the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the German cooperation (GIZ), and DeLoG.

‘Urban Voices’ is a new podcast by the European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN) based in the Hague. It is a platform for knowledge-sharing on matters related to sustainable urban development and national urban policies. The podcast explores key topics in urban development – from the governmental to the individual level – with insights from practitioners, researchers and policymakers. The first episode, hosted by Adela Hankus,focuses on citiesand national urban policies, that contribute to, climate-neutrality. 

When: 10 November 2022
Where: Brussels
Apply by: Registration open

Recent crises – COVID-19 and the Russian war on Ukraine – weigh heavily on the global economy, and most particularly on local and regional governments’ finance and investment capacities. On 10th November the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) will present a study on local finances and the green transition, followed by a debate on reforms of the EU's macroeconomic governance. The aim is to better understand how local and regional government’s finances can become resilient in times of crisis. The event will be held in Brussels.

When: 12 November 2022
Where: Online 
Apply by: Registration open

Recent findings show that climate change risks to cities, settlements and key infrastructure will rapidly rise in the mid- and long-term with further global warming. On 12th November 2022 the EU will discuss how local communities can help achieve global climate adaptation goals and can be the building block for developing resilience on a global scale. The event is part of the EU Pavilion programme in the framework of COP27.  

When: 28 – 29 November 2022
Where: Venice (Italy) and online
Apply by: Registration open

This year's edition of the Venice City Solutions 2030 will be held from 28th to 29th November in Venice and online under the theme ‘Local Governments Flipping the Script to Reimagine the City’. Venice City Solutions 2030 is a yearly event that focuses on how cities and local governments are contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2030. The event aims to bring communities together and transform policy and local action to make cities greener and more inclusive.  

When: 6 December 2022
Where: Grenoble, France
Apply by: Registration open

For their third edition, Platforma – the pan-European coalition of local and regional governments – will once again promote and reward best practices in local and regional governments’ development cooperation projects and will offer cities and regions worldwide easily replicable solutions for sustainable development. The award ceremony will take place on 6th December in Grenoble, France.

When: 12 – 14 December 2022 
Where: Geneva (Switzerland) and online 
Apply by: -

The Effective Development Co-operation Summit will be held from 12th to 14th December in Geneva, Switzerland as well as online. The Summit will address how the Sustainable Development Goals can be achieved in times of crisis. On 13th October a session will be held on Local Governments and Decentralised Cooperation which will discuss ways to increase resources to the subnational level in a changing and resource-constrained environment.

When: 23 November 2022
Where: Online  
Apply by: Registration open

In the framework of the monthly webinar series ‘LGMA COP27’ Yunus Arikan, Director of ICLEI Global Advocacy, guides local and regional governments on the important issues of multilevel governance and progress in the global climate negotiations. The next session takes place on 23rd November 2022. 

When: 14 November 2022

Where: Barcelona, Spain

Apply by: Registration open 

When: Self-paced 

Where: Online 

Apply by: Registration open 

When: 6 March – 17 March 2023

Where: The Hague

Apply by: 27 January 2023 

The International Review of Slum Upgrading Practices by Cities Alliance outlines the current state of a practitioner’s literature on slum upgrading programmes and their constituting elements of successful practices worldwide to discuss reaming challenges. The paper shows that slum upgrading requires tailored solutions to specific problems and local contexts. Especially participation is key to ensure that an intervention is fully embraced by the concerned community.  

Authors: Anthony Boanada-Fuchs and Lea Rohner
Publisher: Cities Alliance
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: Cities Alliance 

The sixth policy brief, which is part of the Emergency Governance Initiative (EGI) – led by UCLG, Metropolis, and LSE Cities – tackles the question of legitimacy regarding emergency responses and the extent to which this legitimacy must be rooted in democratic practices. This issue ties in closely with the role of cities and regional governments in strengthening local democracy as well as advancing the broader principle of subsidiarity. The policy brief shows that more abstract discussions about democracy and emergency responses can be directly linked to specific urban practices on the ground. 

Authors: Philipp Rode, Catalina Duarte, Félix Giroux, Charles Hicks, Cécile Roth, Yasmin Riaz and Brandon St Catherine
Publisher: UCLG/ Metropolis/ LSE Cities
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: UCLG/ Metropolis/ LSE Cities 

The working paper by the Forum of Federations examines the implications of state collapse for constitution-making and constitutional design, with a particular focus on devolution and federalism, presenting case studies from Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. The paper analyses challenges of constitution-making processes in collapsed states as well as the role of international actors. It shows that sustainable peace requires agreements on governance arrangements, including potentially interim power-sharing, a constitution-making process, and some guiding principles for a reconstructed state. 

Authors: George Anderson and Sujit Choudhry
Publisher: Forum of Federations
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: Forum of Federations

The Implementation Guide of the Local Authorities Charter for Gender Equality in Africa is a new tool to achieve gender equality in Africa’s towns and regions and to empower women and girls at the local level. The guide provides definitions, concepts, best practices, and resources for implementing the Charter and shows approaches to monitor and evaluate measures taken to protect women and girls. The guide also addresses challenges of gender equality in planning and sustainable development.

Author: UCLG Africa
Publisher: UCLG Africa
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: UCLG Africa

The publication ‘Cities for Girls, Cities for All’ is the report from the Vinnova Innovation for Gender Equality Project implemented by UN-Habitat and the Swedish independent think tank Global Utmaning. It shows the results of the Her City toolbox, which aims to support urban development from a girl’s and women’s perspective and guides urban actors to implement projects through a step-by-step methodology. The report also provides guidelines for gender and intersectional sensitive participatory planning, design and implementation to support a variety of urban actors in building inclusive cities. 

Authors: Elin Andersdotter Fabre, Chiara Martinuzzi and Tove Levonen
Publisher: UN-Habitat 
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: UN-Habitat 

The publication is based on four regional conferences organised by the Forum of Federations which brought several activists and experts from Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan together to share regional experiences regarding voting patterns and elections. The conferences also helped to achieve insights about ways to enable women to have more access to the public space and to leadership positions. The sessions addressed challenges to women’s leadership in representative councils at the local level. The report summarises key insights about gender quotas, elections, the role of civil society and showcases approaches to tackle the issue of political violence against women.  

Authors: Salwa Hamrouni
Publisher: Forum of Federations 
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: Forum of Federations 

85% of women have witnessed online based violence, including stalking, harassment or hate speech. As the internet is becoming more important for political and societal participation, this has direct consequences on women’s and LGBTQI+ person’s inclusion in local decision-making. A new briefing paper published by GIZ examines gender based online violence and its influence on political participation of women, girls and LGBTQI+ persons. It also gives recommendations and examples on how to address and prevent it.

Authors: Sector Programme Governance (GloBe) & Division Governance and Conflict (Sectoral Department) (ed)
Publisher: GIZ
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: GIZ

The study developed by NALAS – with support of CEMR, PLATFORMA and KDZ – describes the current processes of fiscal decentralisation and local public administration reform in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The study aims to assess the status quo regarding the main challenges and opportunities for action for the further effective implementation. The document showcases next steps of the respective processes in each of the three countries and presents which lessons were learned over three decades of reform to help local government associations in the above-mentioned countries. 

Authors: Alexandra Schantl, Nikola Hochholdinger, Lena Rücker (KDZ) and Elton Stafa (NALAS)
Publisher: NALAS/ PLATFORMA/ KDZ 
Publication Date: 2021 
Copyright: NALAS/ PLATFORMA/ KDZ 

The brief by UNCDF and UNCDP presents the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme which supports projects increasing access to usage of financial services for Pacific Islanders and showcases local and practical examples from Fiji and Samoa. Besides payments, the UNCDF Programme helps Pacific Islanders to protect themselves from certain risks, such as high medical costs, strengthening their financial health.

Authors: Naomi de Groot, Rose Payne and Alex Reddaway
Publisher: UNCDF
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: UNCDF

The report is based on the ‘Learning, Training and Practice Special Event’ 2022 of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which was held in July 2022 under the theme ‘Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. Speakers and experts from academia and other sectors came together to discuss on crucial topics related to the implementation of the SDGs. The report gives insights about the sessions and key findings. 

Authors: Lotta Tahtinen, Naiara Costa, Yunxiao Long, Lineke Wang Schrijver, Celine Clausen, Marie Sophie Mayer, Eliana Riggi, Pelayo Alvarez, Reem Ebid and Lea Beuzit
Publisher: UN
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: UN

The Sustainable Development Mechanism is a tool used by AFD to ensure that every project is aligned with the SDGs. It is based on three pillars: planet, people, and economy-governance. Through an analysis and rating system, it qualifies each project’s contribution to sustainable development. By applying this mechanism, the positive impacts of projects can be optimised. The grids are applicable to all sectors and all types of projects and financing. 
 

Authors: AFD
Publisher: AFD
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: AFD

The report provides an assessment of OECD member countries’ performance across the Goals and Targets of the 2030 Agenda and evaluates the distance that OECD countries need to travel to meet SDG targets for which data is currently available. The report aims to help member countries evaluate where they currently stand with regard to the SDGs, to assess the direction and pace of their recent trajectory, and to identify areas where additional efforts are needed.
 

Author: Guillaume Cohen
Publisher: OECD
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: OECD

The ‘New Urban Agenda Illustrated Toolkit Handbook’ by UN-Habitat shows how to guide and track urbanisation in a visual and interactive way. It offers definitions, strategies and practical applications to make the global framework more accessible and user-friendly for policymakers and urban practitioners. The handbook also complements the online ‘Urban Agenda Platform’, a global knowledge portal providing best practices, data, training, and resources on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. 

Authors: Anne Amin, Gianluca Crispi, Pankti Dalal, Rafael Forero, Rebecca Hui, Christophe Lalande, Lynne Karago, Wataru Kawasaki, Francesca Lionetti, Marcus Mayr, Angela Mwai, Samuel Njuguna, Stephanie Loose, Laura Petrella, Saritha Ramakrishna, Thomaz Ramalho, Andrew Rudd, Remy Sietchiping, Fay Strongin, Vidar Vasko, Raphaelle Vignol and Xin Quan Zhang.
Publisher: UN-Habitat
Publication Date: 2020 
Copyright: UN-Habitat

This policy paper was prepared under the leadership of Cities Alliance for the UCLG World Congress and Summit of World Leaders 2022 in Korea and advocates for a renewed understanding of ‘care’. It views care as holistic and rights-based, contributing to human empowerment and shows that cities and local communities are spaces for care and inclusion and should be, accessible and affordable for everyone.  

Authors: Cities Alliance, Public Services International, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions,  Civil Society Action Committee and Universal Health Coverage 20.
Publisher: Cities Alliance
Publication Date: 2022 
Copyright: Cities Alliance