: Train4dev (2011) Harmonisation, Decentralisation, Local Governance: Harmonisation and alignment guiding principles

This presentation is about how to translate the DPWG-LGD’s Guiding Principles for Enhancing Alignment and Harmonisation on Local Governance and Decentralisation in daily practice.   

It highlights the relevance of the guiding principles for the Paris and Accra agenda and points to the cost of fragmented, uncoordinated and incoherent approaches. 

The presentation also points to the opportunities for joint action in local governance and decentralisation through: i.e. regular donor meetings; local working group on LGD; appointing a lead partner (or troika) on rotation; road-map at country-level including joint field missions for identification, monitoring, etc.; joint financing mechanisms (basket-funding, sector budget support…); joint reviews in the case of budget support; joint capacity-building programmes at the level of central/ local government.

Some of the common challenges encountered when applying the guiding principles include:  a limited national ownership, the reliability of country systems, uncritical alignment, wide variety of approaches to local governance and decentralisation support by different donors, and constraints linked with other support programmes, such as general budget support, SWAPs or civil society support programmes. 

You can access the full agenda of the training here: http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/event/training-course-harmonisation-decentralization-local-governance