During UCLG’s Learning Forum in Daejeon, on October 11, 2022, our constituency, partners, and members of our learning community were invited to showcase their learning products and processes in an interactive and engaging Learning Marketplace, in order to facilitate new connections, synergies and collaborations.
Discover below some of the showcased experiences aligned to the Pact for the Future for Government adopted by the UCLG Congress in Daejeon, as follows:
The Pact for the Future for Government is founded upon the call of our communities who are increasingly pleading for the transformation of governing systems. We are in a once-in-a-generation opportunity to review and improve our tools to respond to the challenges we face, to ensure we drive a profound transformation of our societies and our systems
Check also the learning products/processes showcased for the Pact for the Future for People and for Planet.
Building Capacity for Inclusive Decisions at Local Level with VNG International
VNG International is the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), working at both the technical and political level of local government with programmes around the world.
One of its largest programme, IDEAL, works on involving citizens, including in particular marginalised groups, in local decision-making in order to ensure their needs and opinions are reflected. Local governments play a key role in supporting the resilience of their communities against instability and fragility. Implemented in seven countries facing fragility or conflict (Burundi, Mali, Palestine, Rwanda, Somaliland, South Sudan and Uganda), the programme aims to improve local governance and the quality of basic services in first instance, and in the long-term increase security, reduce poverty, and lead to sustainable social and economic development.
The IDEAL toolkit compiles all the products and deliverables from the programme. You can find more information here: https://www.vng-international.nl/sites/default/files/20220512%20FINAL%20VNG%20IDEAL%20Toolkit%202022_0.pdf
VNGi also coordinates UCLG’s Capacity and Institution Building (CIB) Working Group. Its gender publication on “Gender Equality at the Local Level“, with case studies from different members and guidelines on how to work on gender in capacity building programmes, is a great resource with key lessons from UCLG memberships’ work.
Learning how to monitor progress and contributions towards SDGs through VLRs with UCLG MEWA
Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) offers municipalities a unique opportunity to report, review and monitor their efforts, as well as take the stage on a global platform. However, in order to align the municipal activities with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) properly, technical experts of municipalities need to know about the background of the idea of sustainable development and the preparation process of VLRs.
UCLG MEWA supported the development of the first VLR in the Arab region in Amman together with UN-Habitat and UN ESCWA. It has since then facilitated trainings and exchanges for cities in the region to learn more about the localization of the SDGs, the potential benefits of VLRs and how to integrate them into local policy processes, including supporting the development of VLRs by İzmir Metropolitan, Fatih, Sultanbeyli, and Karatay municipalities in Türkiye.
- Read more about UCLG MEWA’s work here: http://archive.uclg-mewa.org/training-program-on-vlr-held-in-izmir/
- Check out Amman’s and other VLRs at UCLG GOLD’s repository: https://gold.uclg.org/report/localizing-sdgs-boost-monitoring-reporting
Mayors Academy for Sustainable Urban Development
The Asia-Pacific Mayors Academy for Sustainable Urban Development envisions to create a network of local leaders and to establish a unique peer-to-peer learning opportunity for mayors, especially newly-elected or appointed mayors/governors in the region, through yearly training courses and ongoing city-to-city exchanges.
The Academy, launched in 2019 by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC), engages newly elected or appointed city mayors/governors in the Asia-Pacific region to participate in annual fellowships and build their capacities to develop and implement sustainable urban solutions in their communities, in support of the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Learn more at https://www.asiapacificmayorsacademy.org/.
SDGs in cities: UN-Habitat comprehensive SDG localisation approach
SDG localization is the process of transforming the SDGs into reality at the local level, in coherence with the national frameworks and in line with communities’ priorities. It means placing territories and communities at the center of sustainable development – a two-way process where the local meets the national and the global, and vice-versa.
At the Learning Marketplace, UN-Habitat presented their work towards SDG Localization, through a multilevel governance and multistakeholder approach, and the way to move forward to transform all the theory into a reality, and achieve our final goal: a better sustainable future for all.
Read more at: https://unhabitat.org/news/23-mar-2021/sdgs-in-cities-un-habitat-comprehensive-sdg-localisation-approach
Strengthening capacities for metropolitan governance by Metropolis
As the main focal point of expertise on metropolitan governance, Metropolis fosters learning spaces for capacity building to better design and implement urban policies and deliver services to metropolitan citizens. These efforts crystallize in the organization of online and in-person programs suited for technical teams and elected representatives of our membership. The methodologies and formats of the learning activities are varied and adapted to the public and themes.
Launched in 2021, the Metropolis’ Learning Station is the space where public officials with a technical or political profile find all training content on different topics related to metropolitan governance. Social cohesion, mobility, water management, smart cities and e-government, gender equality or financing are some of the issues addressed during their sessions.
Check out the Learning Station’s website for upcoming learning opportunities.
Building Effective Governance at the local level by UCLG Africa
The session on “Promoting the Principles of Effective Governance in Africa: Peer Learning among African Local and Regional Governments” held during the UCLG Congress in Daejeon, was an opportunity to rise awareness about the cruciality of Effective Governance for Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) not only in Africa, but globally, as a key lever to promote and anchor Decentralization, to enhance Local and Regional Governance, and above all to impact the local and regional Development. These Principles are based on 3 fundamental pillars, namely: Effectiveness, Accountability and Inclusiveness.
Read more about this peer learning session here.
“The marketplace offered a space for a constant exchange with participants and other expositors, as well as an opportunity to witness new methodologies that may inspire our future work and help us achieve new learning outcomes related to culture as a key dimension for sustainable development.”
Agnes Ruis, UCLG Committee on Culture