Local and Sub-national Authorities Roundtable

Local and Sub-national Authorities Roundtable

Based on the debates and decisions adopted by the 2nd World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, the networks and organizations represented in the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments will debate the strategies of sub-national and local authorities to participate in the implementation and follow-up of the New Urban Agenda.

The Roundtable will be divided intto two panels of 1 hour each:

• Stock-taking of the New Urban Agenda and main commitments for action at local and national level, and,
• Global initiatives of local and regional governments for follow and review of the New Urban Agenda

The first panel will analyze the different key areas and the means of implementation to ensure the involvement of local and regional governments (LRGs) in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, and their linkages with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Among the key areas to be discussed:

1. Governance (enabling institutional environment for LRGs involvement, coherent national urban and territorial policies)
2. Financing (fiscal decentralization and access to funding)
3. Strategic partnerships to support localization of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (local democracy, right to the city, etc).

The second panel will focus on global actions and particularly on:

1. Strengthening the dialogue of LRGs with the UN system (the role of the World Assembly of Local and Regional Authorities and of the Global Taskforce of LRGs as facilitators)
2. Reporting mechanisms for the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs (how LRGs will contribute to the process, schedules, and responsibilities)
3. Strengthening LRGs global exchange for the implementation of New Urban Agenda (decentralized cooperation, peer-to-peer learning, and knowledge sharing)

Objectives of the Roundtable

• This Roundtable will lay the foundations of a shared strategy of sub-national and local governments to ensure their involvement in the implementation and follow-up of the New Urban Agenda.
• The Global Task Force and the Assembly of Local and Regional Governments will be two of the technical and political tools used to follow-up on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda as recognized within the document. The constituency will elaborate how it will further lead local action for global sustainability by localizing international policy agendas and working to raise awareness of, implement, and monitor the New Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, and other global agendas in our cities and territories.

Guiding Questions       

• What type of follow up mechanisms do we need to ensure the involvement of local governments in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda?
• What can be the role of the World Assembly in the New Urban Agenda?
• What is the role of decentralized cooperation and peer to peer learning in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda?
• How can local governments best advocate at the national level for increased decentralisation and greater legal powers?
• How to promote new forms of local democracy and ensure local government is a meaningful body in a changing society?

Roundtable Follow Up

• How do you propose to monitor the outcomes of this session in order to report back on progress at the 9th Session of the World Urban Forum (2018, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)?