One of the principle objectives set out in the UCLG 2005-2007 work programme is to strengthen the status of local government within the United Nations and its agencies. UCLG and its members have been working towards this objective with the following results:
Local government recommendations on UN reform As part of its ongoing lobbying on UN reform, UCLG has submitted a series of local government recommendations to a high-level Panel chaired by the Prime Ministers of Mozambique, Norway and Pakistan. The 15-member Panel will present its recommendations on how the United Nations system could work more coherently and effectively across the world in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment. Its report is intended to lay the groundwork for a fundamental restructuring of the United Nations operational work.
Recognition in achieving the Millennium Development Goals At the Millennium+5 Summit in New York in September 2005, over 150 Heads of States and Government explicitly recognised the important role of local authorities in contributing to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals. The Summit outcome document also opened up new possibilities for direct dialogue between the General Assembly and the world organisation of local governments, and put local authorities first in the list of major actors with the United Nations.
The Millennium +5 Summit followed a UCLG mayor’s delegation meeting with Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, and Jan Eliasson, President of the UN General Assembly, on 8 September 2005 in New York, where the UN Secretary General recognised the role of cities in the UN agenda.
Cardoso Report: an historic step The Cardoso Report on United Nations-Civil Society Relations prepared at the request of the UN Secretary General and published on 22 June 2004, recommended that the United Nations should regard United Cities and Local Governments as an advisory body on governance matters.
The United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) The United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) was established in January 2000 to strengthen dialogue between national governments and local authorities on the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. UNACLA is the first formal advisory body of local authorities to be attached to the United Nations and UCLG nominates 10 of its 20 members.
Support for city development from the World Bank In February 2006, the President of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, announced that the Bank wishes to develop its partnership with UCLG and is looking to develop new instruments in order to lend directly to local authorities without sovereign guarantee. UCLG and World Bank representatives decided to continue to intensify their dialogue to strengthen institutional links in order to identify quick, straightforward and effective solutions for city development, and therefore for global development.
Partnering the United Nations Links between local government and the United Nations are ensured through strong partnerships between United Cities and Local Governments and United Nations agencies and programmes such as the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN Habitat, with which UCLG has a cooperation agreement. UCLG also works with the UN Development Programme (UNDP); the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM; the UN Training and Research Institute, UNITAR; the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO; and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,OCHA.
Promoting the Millennium Campaign UCLG keeps developing its strong partnership with the United Nations Millennium Campaign in order to promote the local government role in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As part of this partnership and thanks to the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the city of Barcelona, a Millennium Campaign office has been opened in UCLG headquarters in Barcelona. Together, UCLG and the Millennium Campaign have published the brochure “Eight ways to change the World” which provides 8 action points each for Northern and Southern local authorities to help achieve the MDGs and gave locally elected representatives the opportunity to record their commitment to the MDGs in the ‘Voice Box’ recording studio.
Millennium Campaign
