Good local governance and UNDP practices

1. Good local governance and UNDP practices

2. Good local governance and UNDP Good local governance could be defined as an institutional system, a set of organizational and procedural measures, for managing local public affairs, characterized by three critical dimensions: • Performance of the local authorities • Participation of citizens in local public sector decision-making • Sustainable partnerships at the local level

3. Performance of the local authorities Performance of the local authorities (in terms of fiscal effort and discipline, as well as allocative and operational efficiency) in managing public resources and discharging their responsibilities for: a. Delivery of economic and social services, b. Protection of the environment and management of natural resources c. Promotion of economic development,

4. Participation of citizens Participation of organized and individual citizens in local public sector decision-making, through mechanisms that supplement and enhance the functioning of the institutions of democratic representation UNDP is providing support to enhance, strengthen and institutionalized genuine citizen participation in the functioning of the institutions at the local level rather than replace or contradict- lessons learned from donors’ activities in Serbia and other countries from the Western Balkans region

5. Sustainable partnerships at the local level Sustainable partnerships, between local authorities, civil society organizations and private sector units for the provision and production of local collective goods and services. UNDP supports activities for strengthening intra and inter-municipal cooperation

6. The concept of “good local governance”, as defined above, is product of both: • democratic decentralization reforms (in Serbia UNDP is supporting implementation of the Strategy for Public Administration Reform and the Strategy for European Integration) and • simultaneous and systemic efforts of capacity development of local authorities and administrations (UNDP is supporting establishment of training institutions at the local level, examples Serbia and Macedonia; UNDP is facilitating preparation of national Training Strategies for Local Governments).

7. Adoption of good local governance and UNDP experience 1) Changes in the policy, legal and regulatory framework governing: a. Political, administrative and fiscal decentralization of public sector powers, responsibilities and resources, and b. The role and status of civil society and private sector associations and organizations

8. Adoption of good local governance and UNDP experience (cont.) 2) Development of capacities of local governments along three dimensions: a. Improvement of individual capacities through training of elected personnel and local administration staff. b. Strengthening of institutional capacity, through the introduction of improved methods and organizational arrangements for managing local public sector resources. c. Build up of a systemic capacity for effective and cooperative intergovernmental relations between local authorities and the central and de-concentrated public administration