UNDP: Strengthening Local Governance and Community-Led Development

Committee: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Agenda: Strengthening Local Governance and Community Led Development for the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals
Sponsors: Benin, Cabo Verde, Jamaica, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Nigeria
Signatories: Central African Republic, Kazakhstan, Timor-Leste

What the resolution does

The resolution requests that the United Nations Development Programme establish Regional Local Governance Excellence Centres to strengthen the capacity of local government institutions through certified training programmes — covering public administration, public financial management, digital governance, policy implementation, procurement, and monitoring and evaluation. It asks that officials from rural, underserved and capacity-constrained communities be prioritised through scholarships and targeted outreach, that training be delivered both in person and through digital platforms, and that peer-learning and mentorship programmes be facilitated across regions.

It encourages the establishment of a Community Development Matching Grant Scheme, administered by UNDP in partnership with member states and development partners, providing matching grants to financially constrained local governments for community-prioritised infrastructure, healthcare, education, water and sanitation, and climate-resilient development projects — subject to transparent budgeting, independent financial audits, community participation in project selection, and annual public reporting.

It recommends Inclusive Community Opportunity Centres in underserved and rural communities, providing free vocational training, digital literacy programmes, entrepreneurship support, job placement services and business incubation, with targeted assistance for women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

On autonomy, it urges member states to undertake constitutional, legislative and institutional reforms guaranteeing the political, administrative and financial autonomy of local government authorities, including protection of constitutionally allocated revenue, clearly defined governance responsibilities, and safeguards against undue political interference.

Its sharpest provision condemns the replacement of democratically elected local government officials with unelected caretaker committees where such practices undermine democratic governance, and strongly recommends that member states enact and enforce legislation requiring regular, free, fair and timely local government elections conducted by independent electoral management bodies.

It requests that member states establish independent municipal oversight bodies composed of civil society representatives, legal experts, state auditors and anti-corruption agencies, to monitor public expenditure, oversee local resource allocation, strengthen fiscal transparency, investigate allegations of financial misconduct and publish periodic public accountability reports.

Finally, it requests that UNDP, in partnership with national ministries responsible for local government, establish a Grassroots Institutional Capacity Initiative to strengthen institutional capacity in rural and underserved local governments through certified training, digital governance tools and technical assistance, and periodic institutional capacity assessments.

What the preamble records

The preamble acknowledges that weak local government capacity continues to hinder effective public service delivery and the implementation of sustainable development initiatives, and that financial constraints at the local level limit the ability of governments to provide essential services.

It records deep concern at persistent structural impediments facing local government authorities in member states including Nigeria, Angola and Moldova, particularly regarding the centralisation of public finance and the frequent withholding of statutory allocations by state, regional or provincial authorities. It notes the widespread occurrence of political interference in local governance, characterised by the arbitrary dissolution of democratically elected local councils, prolonged use of unelected caretaker committees, and top-down imposition of administrative executives by central regimes. And it recognises that a lack of constitutional protections for local authorities weakens operational capacity, decreases public trust and increases the marginalisation of vulnerable rural communities.

In the room

The committee reached its draft resolution through working papers, with wording and formation the principal points of negotiation. The resolution passed. Delegates of Benin and Jamaica dominated proceedings. The atmosphere was collegial.