United Nations, Asian Development Bank and Asian Development Bank Institute host learning event to encourage responsive and accountable local government.
MANILA,
PHILIPPINES (10 February 2004) – Senior local government
practitioners from 16 countries have joined representatives of civil
society, national government and international donor representatives
this week for a three-day “learning event” at the Asian
Development Bank (ADB). The workshop, jointly organized by the Asian
Development Bank, the Asian Bank Institute and the United Nations
Capital Development Fund, was organized to explore successful practices
and initiatives in improving the plight of the poor through more
effective and accountable local government.
The seminar will assist in identifying additional capacity building
needs of local governments,
and viable partnership arrangements between local governments and
civil society. It also will encourage the replication of identified
best practices in the participating countries.
Deborah Landey, Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme and Resident Coordinator of the UN System in the Philippines, said the workshop provides a good example of UN efforts to promote partnerships in the effort to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals. "The MDGs are a set of ambitious but realistic goals for the year 2015 established by the world’s leaders in the fight against poverty," she said. “We are delighted to be working with the Asian Development Bank and the Development Bank Institute in this very important initiative."
The “Regional Seminar and Learning Event on Local Governance and Pro-Poor Service Delivery” is part of the ADB’s and United Nations strategic thrust to promote responsive service delivery to the poor through local governments. During the three-day event, participants from as far away as Uganda and Tajikistan will discuss innovative practices of both rural and urban local governments in planning, financing and delivering infrastructure and services that have a direct impact on improving the livelihoods of the poor.
UNCDF, which has
worked extensively in the field of decentralization and local government
service delivery throughout Asia and Africa, launched
a report this week in Manila that highlights the impact of its
programmes in Cambodia, Bangladesh and Nepal. It has brought local
government officials from these countries to the seminar to share
their experiences with counterparts from other countries. “We
see this seminar as an important event for practitioners like UNCDF,
together with local government policy makers, to share knowledge
and brainstorm new approaches to better meet the needs of the poor,”
said Kadmiel Wekwete, Director of UNCDF’s Local Governance
Unit, who is in Manila for the workshop.
More information: http://www.uncdf.org/english/local_development/adb
Contact in Manila: Adam Rogers, head of UNCDF
Communications Unit, at (0927) 483 6782
Released by the UN Information Centre, Manila: 10 February 2004
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