The EU should “harness” the potential of decentralised cooperation

The European Parliament Committee on Development (DEVE) recently adopted a report on improving the effectiveness of development cooperation. MEPs make an explicit call on EU institutions to “harness the full potential of decentralised cooperation” as a means to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

In line with PLATFORMA’s key messages and those of UCLG’s Capacity and Institution Building Working Group, the report strongly supports the involvement of local governments in the design and implementation of development cooperation.
However, the report misses the opportunity to stress the importance of decentralisation reforms in partner countries as an instrument to empower local and regional governments as actors of sustainable development.
Moreover, there is a need to involve local and regional governments in the joint programming efforts made by EU institutions and their Member States in the field of development cooperation.
PLATFORMA and its members remain actively engaged on this topic and will carry the voice of European local and regional governments to the High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, to take place in Nairobi (Kenya) from 28 November to 1 December.