The Local Business Environment and Decentralised Cooperation
National business environment reform does not always lead to an improvement of business conditions at the local level. But through decentralised cooperation, local and regional governments can lead reforms that support business growth, create jobs and drive innovation.
The first objective of this study is to show that improving local business environment requires building the capacity of local and regional governments in partner countries and promoting decentralisation reforms.
The second objective is to show the potential contribution of decentralised cooperation to help local and regional governments undertake business environment reforms and advocate for decentralisation reforms.
Decentralised cooperation in the Mediterranean and the Middle East
This mapping of Italian decentralised cooperation projects in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East prepared by the Tuscany Region combines a quantitative analysis on the data relating to all cooperation projects promoted in the Mediterranean basin and a qualitative survey on some of the most significant experiences in this area.
It is a useful tool to all other European regions active in decentralised cooperation in the Mediterranean.
Sensibiliser les citoyens aux actions de coopération décentralisée (only in French)
De l’aide au « tiers-monde » aux Objectifs de développement durable, quels sont les outils disponibles pour mobiliser dans les territoires, et quels sont les partenaires prêts à s’engager ?
Cette publication, qui présente des exemples concrets de mobilisation d’acteurs de la société civile et de militants associatifs, propose également des suggestions pour agir ensemble dans un contexte politique et budgétaire contraint.
Local and regional government and the ACP-EU partnership agreement
The Cotonou Partnership Agreement will expire on 29 February 2020. It is a comprehensive political, aid and trade accord concluded between the European Union and 79 countries of the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States. It is also one of the few development cooperation agreements which explicitly includes local and regional governments among the key stakeholders in its implementation in article 4.
This study seeks to find out if local and regional governments have been actively involved in the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement at national, regional and pan-ACP levels. It also looks at the potential prospects for a stronger role for local and regional governments in the post-2020 ACP-EU relationship.
Decentralised cooperation to achieve the 2030 Agenda
Development cooperation no longer lies only in the hands of public authorities. While non-governmental organisations might be the most traditional counterpart of governments in international aid and development cooperation in many countries, they are experiencing the rise of other players.
Local and regional governments strive towards leading this new era of development cooperation through what has been called “decentralised cooperation».
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10 years of PLATFORMA, 10 years of action!
PLATFORMA, the pan-European coalition of local and regional governments and their associations active in city-to-city and region-to-region development cooperation, turns 10!
But what has been achieved in the past ten years? And what should the priorities be for the future?
National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues on Development – Comparative report
The purpose of this Comparative report is to distil the lessons learned from the «National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues on Development» (NMSDD) project, to complement the Summary report and to inspire other local government associations.
This project led by PLATFORMA was implemented during the 2015-2018 period by four local government associations: the Italian Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AICCRE), the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG International), the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LALRG) and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP).
National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues on Development – Summary report
The purpose of this Summary report is to distil the lessons learned from the «National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues on Development» (NMSDD) project and to inspire other local government associations.
This project led by PLATFORMA was implemented during the 2015-2018 period by four local government associations: the Italian Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AICCRE), the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG International), the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LALRG) and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP).
The external actions of French local and regional governments
This publication, based on a doctoral thesis, aims to highlight the reasons and the ways in which external actions of French local governments are currently implemented. Indeed, despite a «strained» context, local and regional authorities continue to develop international actions. While the concepts of reciprocity and “win-win” partnership are emphasised in official speeches, what about the impact of these foreign actions for local French territories?
SDGs: How Europe’s towns and regions are taking the lead
Municipalities, regions and their associations are at the vanguard when it comes to tackling the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Learn more about some of the challenges local and regional governments have been facing in their day-to-day work with the SDGs. And discover how CEMR and PLATFORMA, national governments, the European Union and international institutions, can together overcome obstacles to achieve their localisation.
Toolbox – Socially responsible workwear
This guide is a concrete toolbox for a social and sustainable procurement policy, aimed at public sector professionals. It focuses on workwear, but the principle of supplier engagement applies to all product groups with large risks in global chains.
This guide primarily targets people who are involved in the purchase of workwear at governments, hospitals and police departments. The guide is also intended for designers, producers, distributors and all other interested parties. Sustainable production is only feasible through intense collaboration by all parties!
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Promoting gender equality: towards a gender-based approach in decentralised cooperation projects
Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is one of the 2015-2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.
Promoting gender equality beyond its borders within the framework of its foreign policy is also a high priority for the European Union.
That is why this report is conceived as a tool to encourage local and regional governments to mainstream gender in their international development projects.
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European local and regional governments engaged in climate cooperation
This “Overview of European tools” aims at highlighting the contribution of partnerships and of cooperation between local and regional governments to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. It begins by going over the content of agreement signed at COP 21 and the main elements that concern local and regional governments.
The second part covers the main European programmes and the arrangement that can support cooperation projects involving local and regional governments in tackling and adapting to climate change. The last part goes over some initiatives that aim at supporting cooperation between local and regional governments in that area.
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Shaping a new generation of decentralised cooperation
There is a general consensus that local and regional governments play a crucial role in sustainable development. Proof of this is that they were very active during the preparation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and they continue to be so in the localising process. Decentralised cooperation is consequently a key resource for achieving the SDGs with localised approaches, as well as the New Urban Agenda, and other global agendas.
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