2015 is an important year for everyone involved in development cooperation. The Millennium Development Goals come to an end, strategic partnership agreements will be signed with the European Commission. The CIB working group secretariat would like to use this opportunity to pay special attention to some upcoming events of 2015.
Post 2015 Development Goals
Not only is 2015 the year that the Millennium Development Goals expire, it is also the year that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)will be launched. 2015 will present us the challenge of putting the local development agenda on the map and ensure that it becomes enshrined in the SDGs. The adoption of the new SDGs will take place in September. UCLG and the CIB Working Group will therefore continue to support Goal 11 on Sustainable Cities and to advocate for the importance of access of local governments to capacities and financing. For UCLG’s reaction to the UN secretary general synthesis report, please click here.
For more information on the SDGs, you can visit the UN website dedicated to the topic.
Financing for Development
Prior to the adoption of the new Sustainable Development Goals in July, a conference on Financing for Development takes place. This meeting will centre on the ways in which the private sector and national capital flows can lead to development, in addition to Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Currently local governments are not invited to take part in the consultations of the conference, and can only participate through the business sector forum. The same goes for civil society. They therefore advocate for a clear role in the debates.
The main message of local governments is that the discussion around domestic resource mobilization lack a local component. It is very important that there is an efficient and transparent financial management by the local governments in place and an efficient cadastre and land registry to collect local taxes. Support to ensure capacities in this regard is very important.
Also the legal frameworks are not always allowing local governments to access investments and loans. It is important to work together to ensure that these local concerns become an integrated and important part of the agenda.
COP 21
2015 is also the year the Kyoto protocol on climate change expires. The negotiations for a new framework protocol on climate change are already under way and will culminate in the UNFCCC summit in Paris taking place from 30 November to 11 December, where a new protocol is expected to be signed. The 2015 agreement will have to bring together the current patchwork of binding and non-binding arrangements under the UN climate convention into a single comprehensive regime. In Paris, a special Local Government or City day will be organized to emphasize the role that cities can play in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
European Year of Development
At regional level, the EU has named 2015 the European Year for Development. The EU is the biggest donor of official development assistance (ODA) in the world. Four years after the adoption of the Agenda for Change (the European Commission's blueprint to refocus its development aid), 2015 is the ideal time for donors and stakeholders to come together to look at what has been achieved so far, and most importantly, what still needs to be done.
The European Year of Development 2015 will be a key opportunity to raise awareness of development across Europe, and to show European taxpayers know that every euro spent on development benefits both people living in some of the world's poorest countries, and EU citizens themselves. It is the first ever European Year focused on external relations. The slogan of the European Year for Development is: “Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future”. The EYD 2015 has a packed calendar of events at EU, national, regional and local level. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has launched the EYD2015 at a high-level opening ceremony in Riga on 9 January. For more information, as well as a calendar of Events please visit https://europa.eu/eyd2015/.
Strategic Partnership Agreements
2015 is also the year of signature of various Strategic Partnership Agreements of networks of local governments with the European Commission. UCLG, CEMR/PLATFORMA, UCLG Africa, AIMF and CLGF are signing agreements with the Commission at the end of January to strengthen the work of the networks, in terms of services to their members, advocacy capacity and enhancing their learning agendas.
All events can be found in the Calendar section of the CIB website.