Welcome: Urban Dialogue on Financing Urban Development – Mexico City Thematic Meeting.

This online dialogue took place from 22 February to 6 March 2016 in advance of the Habitat III Thematic Meeting in Mexico City from 9 to 11 March. During the two-week online discussion, individuals and organisations from around the world were invited to discuss the challenges facing local urban authorities in developing countries in revenue generation and share successful solutions to these challenges. The discussion is now closed.

Local authorities all over the world are playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of fundamental basic public services. However, they are also facing huge challenges, in particular the widening gap between the availability of financial resources and municipal expenditure needs. Local authorities in many developing countries, cities and towns could generate increased revenue from local revenue sources by improving the efficiency of revenue generation and by implementing innovative, revenue-generating mechanisms. Sufficient financial resources to deliver better urban services and implement planned city extensions can also be generated by introducing more responsive and accountable governance practices.