The statement notes that many governments and international agencies are now supporting decentralisation and local empowerment as a central to a development strategy and seeking to provide greater capacity to local governments to allow them to be more effective delivery agents for providing key services to the community.

CLGF Secretary-General Carl Wright commented, “The UN High Level Panel is an important forum for discussing what sort of targets should be set post-2015. We would like to see greater emphasis on social targets to measure inclusion and general well-being, as well as a greater recognition of local government’s role in development.”

CLGF Chairperson Lawrence Yule, President of Local Government New Zealand, is to be a member of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Leaders for the 2015 and Habitat III Process.

The 2013 Commonwealth Local Government Conference, CLGF’s flagship bi-ennial event for members, to be held in Kampala, Uganda in May 2013, will focus on developmental local government and local government’s role in development and how this should be recognised in the post-2015 development agenda. It will also include a session run by the UNDP where they will give CLGF members a chance to input into the UN consultation on the post-2015 development agenda.

Read the full statement here.