Newsletter – n°20 – March 2013

Headlines

The roundtable on the post-2015 development framework, moderated by James Mackie, European Centre for Development Policy Management, brought some answers to the following questions: the lessons to be learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the key elements of the future post-2015 framework and the characteristics of the definition and implementation process.

It was unanimously agreed that the MDGs definition process had not been sufficiently inclusive, which led to the definition of goals that took into account neither local realities nor inequalities inside countries. 

Local and regional elected representatives deplored that the implementation process did not associate local authorities either, despite the fact that several MDGs are at the heart of their competences.

Concerning the future development goals, the members of the panel pleaded in favour of a unique framework, tackling both poverty eradication and environmental objectives, to interconnected problems, in order to rationalise governance systems and the use of financial resources.

They recommended the adoption of universal goals, which can apply to all countries, and of a framework that would define the actors and government levels responsible for the implementation, in order to increase synergies and avoid duplication.

They however underlined the need for the goals to be differentiated according to national contexts and even local contexts, so as to take into consideration the realities in the territories.

They also recommended that several issues be treated in a horizontal manner, such as women’s participation in socio-economic life, local governance or environmental issues.

Finally, they encouraged the use of indicators that would take into account the well-being of the populations and their access to basic public services.

In order to insure the participation of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the implementation of the future goals, the panellists insisted on the need to support local democracy and governance, particularly by supporting decentralisation processes, with a real devolution of competence and human and financial resources and by capacity building so that LRAs are able to exercise their new competences.

In this respect, decentralised cooperation was cited as an efficient means to participate in the implementation of the future goals.

Finally, transparency and the efficient fight against fraud and corruption were cited as crucial elements so that the efforts made for development are not compromised.

Hubert Julien-Laferrière, Vice-president of the Lyon Urban Community and Carles Llorens, Director General for Development Cooperation of the Catalonia Region, both expressed their regret that the European Commission Communication on the post-2015 framework, A decent life for all, does not mention local and regional governments. However, they expressed hope that the Commission’s position will evolve thanks to the resolution of the Committee of the Regions and of the conclusions of the Council which should be made public at the end of May.

The roundtable was organised by the Catalonia Region and PLATFORMA, in the framework of the 3^rd Assises of decentralised cooperation.

Besides Carles Llorens and Hubert Julien-Laferrière, the speakers were: Mercedes Bresso, Vice-president of the Committee of the regions, Fatimetou Mint Abdel Malick, Mayor of Tevragh-Zeina (Mauritania) and UCLG representative, Paul Carrasco, Governor of the Azuay Province (Equator) and President of FOGAR, Santiago Fisas, member of the DEVE Committee of the European Parliament, Chris Vanden Blicke, Head of the PNUE Office in Brussels, Moraig Henderson, Deputy Director of the PNUD in Brussels and Patrick Rabe, DG DEVCO of the European Commission.