Cities & regions defend their key role at the Global PFD

14 marzo 2019

PLATFORMA is defending the role of local and regional governments, along with UCLG, VVSG, CLGF, CALM, the Basque government and other cities and regions’ associations, at the 7th Global Meeting of the Policy Forum on Development (PFD), which is taking place from 13 to 15 March in Brussels.

More than 90 representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs), local authorities (LAs), professional and business associations, EU Member States and EU institutions have gathered to discuss the most challenging EU development policies.

In this year’s edition, the state of play how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda are implemented at the global and regional level is the central point of the agenda. Participants are particularly focusing on the role partnerships play in this.

In addition, participants are discussing the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI).

Marlène Siméon, director of PLATFORMA, made six recommandations to the European Commission:

  • To clearly set out the rules to engage with local governments, and one particular step could be the development of EU Country Roadmaps for engagement with Local and Regional Governments
  • To include decentralisation as a transversal and mandatory sector for National and Regional Indicative Programmes
  • To design a thematic programme to support LRGs and their national associations to engage, so that they can effectively participate to the political dialogue, and develop concrete projects and actions also via decentralised cooperation
  • To explicitly recognise and support the role of LRGs in the localisation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
  • To support local governments of all sizes, deepening the territorial approach
  • To reinforce the partnership approach in EU development policy

 

On the last point she added: «Coordination between civil society organisations, local governments and EU institutions, both in Brussels and at country level, is pivotal to ensure the achievement of EU development policy and the SDGs.»

Finally, another panel is dedicated to the environmental and climate ambition of the 2030 Agenda: the question is how EU cooperation and multi-stakeholder partnerships can contribute to achieving this ambition.

Have a look at the pictures of the event.

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