The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) has launched 24 new international partnerships to boost local democracy, in various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe and Asia. The red thread in all these partnership, financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, is the focus on local democracy.
“Democracy is a vital factor in tackling poverty. Sadly, in many places around the world today we’re seeing democratic development heading in the wrong direction, which is why it’s so important to maintain and strengthen partnerships that relate specifically to democracy issues,” says Carin Jämtin, Sida’s Director General.
In this round, most partnerships were granted funding in Tanzania, Botswana, Kenya and Zambia, followed by Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, South Africa and Vietnam. To give you an idea of the topics and participating municipalities, please find some examples below:
-
The municipalities of Borlänge (Sweden) and Lodwar (Kenya) are to work together to encourage democratic inclusion for Somali refugees in both municipalities, which will help tackle a pressing global challenge.
-
The cities of Gothenburg (Sweden) and Nelson Mandela Bay (South Africa) want to get young people more involved in urban development to create cohesive local communities governed by law.
-
Local governments in Växjö (Sweden) and JB Marks in South Africa are keen to develop ways of implementing the UN’s 2030 Agenda in their municipalities, while Robertsfors and Machakos in Kenya want to devise better control mechanisms for gender equality, to create more equal societies.
In addition to the 24 new projects, 136 other partnerships are already under way. Local governance is the most common focal point for cooperation in this application round, and many applications have a clear link between the project and the global 2030 Agenda. Over 55 Swedish municipalities, county councils and regions have been on board. Grants for the projects total between SEK 300,000 and SEK 500,000 a year and they extend for periods of one to three years.
For further information, please contact Sida’s press office on +46 (0)8-698 55 55, or press@sida.se; for questions about partnerships, please contact ICLD on +46 (0)498-29 91 00, or partnership@icld.se. Find out more about the various projects of ICLD at: www.icld.se
