E-discussions briefing
In April 2014, as part of the global debate on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the UN
launched a new round of global consultations on the “means of implementation” of the
Agenda. In the framework of these consultations, the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat),
together with the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments for the Post-2015
Development Agenda and towards HABITAT III (Global Task Force - GTF), are organizing a
consultation on localizing the post-2015 development agenda.
The consultation includes: local and national dialogues in 15 countries, several regional and
global consultations and, online e-discussions on key questions related to localization.
of
May
at
the
website:
The
e-discussions
launched
on
Monday
19th
http://www.worldwewant2015.org/es/localising2015 and will be open until July 18th. The
discussions are facilitated by UNDP, UN Habitat and the Global Taskforce.
IT IS CRITICAL THAT LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY IN
THIS E-DISCUSSION
This briefing is designed to make sure that you are aware of the messages which have been
fed into the post 2015 debate by the Global Taskforce on behalf of our members and
partners.
Background
Although the post-2015 goals will be, like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
essentially global and national targets, local governments have a strategic and practical role
to play in their implementation. The ‘localization’ of the MDGs, and of the post-2015 goals
going forward, refers to the process of tailoring global and national goals at sub-national and
local levels in response to local needs, and to achieving them in the ways that are most
effective in each local context.
The e-discussions focus on three main questions. Below are the questions (in bold), guidance
on how to answer them, and some samples of the types of answers that could be given (in
italics):
ƒ
What has been your experience of implementing the MDGs at the local level?
Have you actively taken the MDGs into account in local consultations,
planning and service delivery? Please provide practical examples.
In this e-discussion, explain the relationship of local governments in your area with
the MDG process in recent years. Were the MDGs in line with local concerns and
priorities in your area? Were the targets and indicators suited to the needs of citizens
in your locality? Did local government policies change as a result of the MDGs? If so,
how? Did you have contact with international agencies and national institutions
relating to the MDGs? If so, how much support did they provide to your local
institutions? What has changed since the MDGs were defined (15 years ago)? Are
you facing new or different challenges?
E.g. - Our city or local government met the MDG targets for access to water and
sanitation, but provision of these services – shared wells and pit latrines - is still
inadequate for the needs of our citizens, particularly women.
-
Our country met the national MDG targets for XXX thanks to national average
but our region/city itself has not and we feel our citizens are being left behind.
-
The MDGs gave our local government an impulse to focus on the issue of
poverty, particulary in slum areas. We developed a plan to upgrade slums with a
strong participation of slum dwellers.
or
We still have much to do to tackle extreme poverty in our area. However we are
also facing new challenges, particularly rapidly expanding slums which are at risk
of flooding due to the impact of climate change in our region. It is crucial for us
that the post-2015 agenda helps us to address this issue.
ƒ
-
The MDGs gave our local government an impulse to focus on the issue of
women’s health. We worked with midwives and women’s groups to improve the
role of primary health care centres to reduce maternal mortality. This has had
positive consequences for health and education more generally in the district.
-
The MDG on primary education was problematic for our region. We had to
drastically expand provision of school places with no extra resources and an
undersupply of teachers and classrooms. Furthermore, we did not have the
adequate capacity at local level to enforce school attendance for families who
preferred to have their children work in or outside the home.
What are the key challenges that you see which would affect local
government playing a full role in implementing the Agenda Post-2015
(called also Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs) and how could they be
overcome to successfully localize the SDGs?
Here is a list of the focus areas currently being discussed as potential post-2015
goals by the UN Open Working Group – this list is not final but can serve to guide
your answers:
1.
End poverty in all its forms everywhere;
2.
End hunger and improve nutrition for all;
3.
Healthy life at all ages for all,
4.
Provide quality education and life-long learning for all;
5.
Attain gender equality and women’s empowerment everywhere;
6.
Water and sanitation for a sustainable world;
7.
Ensure access to affordable, sustainable, and reliable modern energy for all;
8.
Promote sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth and
decent jobs for all;
9.
Promote sustainable industrialization and equality among nations;
10.
Build inclusive, safe and sustainable cities and human settlements;
11.
Promote sustainable consumption and production patterns;
12.
Mitigate and adapt to climate change;
13.
Conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, oceans and seas;
14.
Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and halt all biodiversity loss.
15.
Strengthen global partnership for sustainable development
16.
Peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law and capable institutions
Many of the proposed goals and targets for the post-2015 agenda are essentially
local in nature and are most effectively managed locally (water, sanitation, slum
improvement, health, education, risk prevention).
Challenges that might be relevant to mention include:
•
Targets and indicators that are inappropriate for local needs and contexts
e.g. The $1.25 a day measure of poverty is inappropriate in many cities.
E.g. The MDGs defined public latrines as ‘improved’ sanitation, but
women in many cities cannot use such facilities at night for fear of rape.
•
Weak local capacities, or insufficient financing necessary to achieve goals
e.g. The residents of informal settlements in some cities do not have
access to piped water supplies and the there is a lack of local tax base or
access to borrowing to fund investment in the water infrastructure.
E.g Lack of local data to identify gaps in water and sanitation provision.
In Macedonia, Local Leadership Groups were trained in methods and
techniques for monitoring MDG based programs including the gathering
of data.
•
Weak planning capacities
E.g. In Msunduzi Municipality in South Africa, a cross-sectoral approach
to HIV/AIDS was adopted to provide a wide array of services from
programmes at the national and local levels
-
ƒ
E.g. some local governments lack the technical capacities and human
resources to integrate the strategic planning of water and sanitation
services into city management.
- e.g. Cross-sectoral concerns such as public safety can be addressed
with consultations taking place between the national, provincial and city
level officials in the areas of health, environment, housing, and others to
ensure coordination (e.g. South Africa)
•
Local environmental factors that increase risk or adversely affect the poor
e.g. Some cities includes informal settlements located in an area at risk of
landslides. They may not have the resources to either relocate the settlement
or provide it with adequate and resilient basic services.
•
Some local areas are dealing with a post-conflict situation and are home to a
large internally displaced population. This insecurity, along with insufficient
resources, makes it difficult to identify and alleviate poverty and guarantee
access to health and education
•
Examples of the challenges and opportunities provided by distinct local
cultures are also welcome here:
e.g. HIV and AIDs can be taboo subjects, making it difficult to discuss the
disease and tackle goal five. However, communities with rich traditions of
popular theatre have used this medium to communicate essential sexual
health principles and reduce the infection rate of HIV.
How can we improve coordination between local, provincial/state and
national government to ensure successful implementation of the SDGs post
2015?
It is important to make the argument that political and fiscal decentralization and the
strengthening of sub-national governments are critical to the achievement of post2015 goals and targets. A ‘top down’ approach by central governments can result in
development policies that are ill-adapted to local needs and contexts.
If local governments have been bypassed by central governments and international
agencies, or not been given adequate competencies or resources to fulfill their role
this should be made clear, and the negative consequences of the exclusion of local
governments explained.
- e.g. Sub-national governments in many countries are traditionally responsible for
providing infrastructure for basic schools. They have partnered with sector ministries
in charge of education and other development partners to provide incentives for
increasing school attendance and reducing drop-out rates, particularly for girls.
- e.g. National urban policies can require local governments to ‘eliminate’ slums, but
the end result is just to move poor populations rather than to deal with the
underlying issues of poverty and exclusion. Local governments often prefer to
upgrade and improve slums where they exist (e.g. by providing basic service
infrastructure) in cooperation with other levels of government.
- e.g. The Décentralisation et Initiatives de Santé Communautaire (DISC) initiative in
Senegal is a national initiative that builds the capacities of local authorities to
address HIV/AIDS concerns from a cross-sectoral perspective that includes health,
education, and sanitation assets at both the national and local levels
- e.g. In Nairobi local government and an NGO have undertaken detailed slum
assessments through community organizations thereby enabling these groups to
identify their key needs and plan their own solutions
This is also the place to consider the importance of local target-setting and of how to
link local development plans with national plans and strategies.
The e-discussions are a great opportunity for our organizations to lead this global
consultation with the UN and to strengthen our recognition and legitimacy as representatives
of local and regional governments’ voices on the world stage. We need to ensure strong
participation of our members in this consultation, and strongly encourage you to contribute.
All three discussions are open in parallel until July 18th and you can participate in one or all
of them, as you wish.