World
|
· United Nations Sites
This link gives access to the
websites of all the United Nations agencies. The GOLD site only includes those sites that are of direct relevance to local governments. |
· Association internationale des maires francophones (AIMF)
The AIMF is a network of cities committed to act close to the citizens to
promote good municipal governance and urban development. A focal point for decentralised cooperation in Francophone countries, the AIMF supports local authorities in processes
of democratic decentralization. Its members exchange know-how based in particular on the expertise of specialists and concrete achievements. |
· Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment
Searchable database cataloguing over 650 good and best practices from more than 90 countries on how
people, their communities, the public and private sectors have been able to tackle critical social, economic and environmental problems. The Best Practices database is a joint
product of UN-HABITAT and The Together Foundation and has been made possible with the support of Dubai Municipality, the Best Practices Partners and the Government of UK.
|
· Child Friendly Cities
A Child Friendly City is a local system of good
governance committed to fulfilling children’s rights. The CFC website provides a powerful tool for exchanging information, sharing data and networking among partners globally.
information about the activities, objectives and methodologies of CFC projects, links with CFC partners and examples from Child Friendly Cities world-wide.
24 CFC good practices developed in low- and high-income nations can be consulted in this section of the website. |
· Cities Alliance
The Cities Alliance is a global coalition of cities and their
development partners committed to scaling up successful approaches to poverty reduction;
The Alliance brings cities together in a direct dialogue with bilateral and multilateral agencies and financial institutions;
Alliance members promote the developmental role of local governments and help cities of all sizes obtain more coherent international support;
By promoting the positive impacts of urbanisation, the Alliance helps local authorities plan and prepare for future growth;
The Alliance helps cities develop sustainable financing strategies, and attract long-term capital investments for infrastructure and other services.
|
· City Mayors
City Mayors is an information platform specialising in innovative solutions to urban
problems such as housing, transport, education and employment.
|
· Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF)
CLGF works to promote and strengthen democratic local government across the Commonwealth, and to encourage the exchange of best practice -
through conferences and events, its Good Practice Scheme, research and information on innovation, and working with Commonwealth countries to support the development of
democratic values and good governance. CLGF has been actively involved in encouraging and developing local elections and systems, election monitoring, and capacity building
support for councillors and councils. |
· Development Gateway
the Development Gateway uses affordable information and
communication technologies to increase knowledge sharing, build local capacity, enhance effectiveness and improve transparency for organisations in developing countries
|
· Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative EMI
EMI is an
international, not-for-profit, scientific organization dedicated to the reduction of disaster risk in megacities and major metropolises. It was founded in 1998 in response to
the urgent need to stimulate urban earthquake preparedness and mitigation in developing countries. EMI serves as a catalyst for the delivery of scientific and technical
knowledge to local government officials, policymakers, practitioners, and disaster management technical personnel. |
· Earthwatch - United Nations System
The United Nations System-wide Earthwatch mechanism is a broad UN initiative to coordinate, harmonize and catalyze environmental observation activities among all UN agencies
for integrated assessment purposes. UNEP provides the Earthwatch secretariat. The site contains a worldwide set of indicators on environmental issues. |
· Global Metro City – The Glocal Forum
The Glocal Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of international relations in persuance of new balance between global and local forces in
today’s world.
|
· Global Urban Observatory (UN-Habitat)
The Global Urban Observatory (GUO) addresses the urgent need to improve the world-wide base of urban knowledge by helping Governments, local
authorities and organizations of the civil society develop and apply policy-oriented urban indicators, statistics and other urban information.
|
· Governance World Watch
The Governance World Watch is a service
provided by the United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance. The resources are categorized by: Public Policies and Globalization; Government Systems and
Institutions; Civil Service and Ethics in Public Sector; E-government and Management trends; Public Finance management; and, Private Sector Development; as well as in a
geographical manner. |
· Healthy Cities
The WHO Healthy Cities program engages local governments in health
development through a process of political commitment, institutional change, capacity building, partnership-based planning and innovative projects. Over 1200 cities and towns
from more than 30 countries in the WHO European Region are healthy cities. |
· Huairou Commission (Women and Governance)
The Huairou Commission is an international network of grassroots women organisations aiming to streghen grassroots leadership to
influence decision-making processes and engender governance. |
· ICLEI Local governments for sustainability
International clearinghouse on sustainable development and environmental protection policies, programs, and techniques being implemented at
the local level by local institutions. Resources and links on Local Agenda 21, Green Fleets, environmental budgeting, other topics.
|
· International Association of Educating Cities
Educating cities started as a movement in 1990 based on the 1st International Congress of Educating Cities, held in
Barcelona, when a group of cities represented by their local governments set for themselves the common goal of working together on projects and activities for improving the
quality of life of their inhabitants on the basis of their active involvement in the use and evolution of the city itself and according to the approved Educating Cities
Charter. The site contains very useful information regarding territorial and thematic networks. |
· International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)
The International
Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), is an intergovernmental organization with member states from all continents; it has a mandate to support sustainable
democracy worldwide. Idea has resources on democracy, conflict management, electoral processes, political parties an women in politics. |
· International Observatory of Participatory Democracy
This is a space that is open to all of the world´s cities that want to learn about,
exchange or apply experiences relating to participative democracy on a local level.
|
· International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
The ISDR
aims at building disaster resilient communities by promoting increased awareness of the importance of disaster reduction as an integral component of sustainable development,
with the goal of reducing human, social, economic and environmental losses due to natural hazards and related technological and environmental disasters.
|
· International Urban Development Association (INTA)
INTA is an international network that encourages the exchange of information, experience and best practices
on urban development and renewal across the world. |
· Observatory on Decentralised Cooperation
www.observ-ocd.org - www.observ-ocd.org |
· Organisation of World Heritage Cities (OWHC)
OWHC is an international non-profit non-governmental organization created to assist member cities adapt and improve their
management methods in relation to the specific requirements of having a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The site contains information on the ongoing
projects and documents related to the specific aspects of natural and cultural heritage. |
· ProVention Consortium
|
· Social Watch
Social Watch is an international network of city organizations that fights for the
eradication of poverty and its causes. It offers national and regional reports on the fulfillment of the efforts aimed at the eradication of poverty. |
· The World Bank Urban Strategy
The World
Bank has launched a process of updating its urban strategy, which will be issued in 2009. The new strategy will reflect on key developments over the past decade, assess the
impact of interventions and policies that worked or that faltered during this period and provide insights about new directions and adjustments that may be needed over the
coming decade. The most fundamental rationale for an update at this time is what can be considered no less than a paradigm shift in the way the developing world, the World
Bank, and its donor partners must begin to think and act in addressing the opportunities and challenges of rapid urbanization.
This website serves as a portal to exchange ideas, information and experience about urban development policies and practices around the world. We hope that the discussion
generated on this website will help shape the new World Bank Urban Strategy and, in turn, help pave the way for how we work and partner with developing cities and development
partners in the years ahead. |
· Toolkit Citizen Participation
The site offers
information on tools which promote citizen participation, a forum for discussions and it holds articles for further reference.
|
· Transparency International
Transparency International,
is the only international non-governmental organization devoted to combating corruption, bringing civil society, business, and governments together in a powerful global
coalition. TI, through its International Secretariat and more than 85 independent national chapters around the world, works at both the national and international level to
curb both the supply and demand of corruption. The site contains TI annual reports and other useful documents. |
· Union de Ciudades Capitales Iberoamericanas (UCCI)
The Union of Iberia-America Capital Cities (UCCI) is an international non profit nongovernmental organization
of municipal character that groups to the capital cities of Iberia-America. The site is in Spanish and contains basic information of the member cities, of the organization,
cultural connections, its magazine, projects and training programs. |
· Union of Portuguese Capital Cities (UCCLA)
The Union of Portuguese-speaking Capital Cities has 13 city members and its site offers
information on the organization, its members, its activities and its decentralized cooperation programmes. The newsletter of the organization can also be downloaded. (The site
is only available in Portuguese).
|
· United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA)
This site presents the History, Rules of Procedure,
Agreements and resolutions taken by the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities
|
· United Nations Development Program - Democratic Governance (UNDP)
Democratic Governance of the United Nations Development Program, UNDP - United Nations conference on new or restored democracies; documents, statements,
links, and related General Assembly resolutions available
|
· United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
UN-Habitat, the United
Nations Agency for human settlements, aims to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. |
· United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
United
Nations Institute for Training and Research - The Decentralized Cooperation Programme of UNITAR provides training for local authorities, such as mayors, governors or municipal
councillors as well as public and private companies and civil society in three major areas:
- Sustainable urbanisation and environment,
- Information Society,
- Human and Social Development.
The seminars are implemented through a network of regional associated training centres, the CIFAL Centres (CIFAL: Centre International de Formation des Autorités /Acteurs
Locaux – International Training Centre for Local Authorities/Actors). |
· UN-NGO-IRENE Best Practices Network
|
· Urbanicity
URBANICITY website include Papers in the field of urban development: Development, Energy,
Environment, Finance, GIS, Housing, IT & Communications, Local Government, Planning, Regeneration, Transport, Water
|
· Urbanicity For Local Government and Urban Development
|
· World Bank (Urban Development)
The website of the Urban Development Division of the World Bank includes information on municipal finances, urban services for the poor, local economic development and urban
poverty. |
· World Conference on City Diplomacy
|
· World Local Authorities (WLA)
ALM/WLA focuses
on how local government functions and provides local representatives, decision-makers, university leaders and companies… with keys to help them decode the local authority
market, via country-by-country analyses by comparable data
|
Africa
|
· Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa (AMICAALL)
Alliance of mayors and municipal leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa was established to promote an expanded, multisectoral response to the
HIV/AIDS epidemic at the local level. The web site provides information about the associated organizations, the different programs they have developed and the publications of
the organization. |
· Decentralized Cooperation in Mali
L’Association des
Municipalités du Mali regroupe l’ensemble des 703 communes du pays plus la mairie du District de Bamako qui a statut particulier.
Elle a été créée en novembre 2000, en lieu et place de l’Association des Maires du Mali, qui regroupait depuis 1993, les 19 anciennes communes urbaines.
L’AMM a pour but « de participer à la sauvegarde de la libre administration des collectivités territoriales et à l´approfondissement de la démocratie locale ». Elle s’est
ainsi adaptée au nouveau contexte politico administratif qu’est la décentralisation active et intégrale, mise en œuvre à partir de juin 1999.
|
· Institut Africain de gestion urbaine
is an international NGO created in 1987. Its mission is to support municipalities and cities authorities in Western and Central Africa in strengthening their
management and urban planning capacities, in order to improve local governance and the environment, and to fight poverty. The site provides guidance on the activities of IAGU,
documents, research and training. |
· Municipal Development Partnership - Eastern and Southern Africa (MDP)
The PDM is a
regional partnership whose members are national associations of local authorities of the countries of West and Central Africa. Among the 24 countries of the sub-region, 18
have a national association of local authorities. This site contains a significant amount of documents on local government issues in Africa. |
· Observatoire des villes Francophones d’Afrique
This site is a resource center on urban indicators in six countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Morocco,
Senegal) that are involved in the Urban Observatories set up by UN Habitat, Enda, ASDI and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
· Observatory for Decentralised Cooperation
|
Egypt
|
· Fondation Friedrich Naumann - Bureau régional Maghreb - Proche-Orient - Méditerranée
|
Senegal
|
· Environment and Development Action in the Third World (ENDA)
Environment and Development Action in the Third World is an
international non-profit organization, founded in 1972, based in Dakar, Senegal. The site contains information of the various projects on urban and local development. “Cities
of the South” is a project on slums and urban transformations in eight cities in Africa, Latin America and Asia. |
South Africa
|
· South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA)
South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) is the national voice of local government in South Africa,
and is an organization mandated by the South African Constitution to assist in the comprehensive transformation of local government in the country. This website provides full
information about all SALGA’s activities and the origin of SALGA, strategic planning of the organization, and news and documents related with its activities. |
Asia-Pacific
|
· Citynet
Citynet, the Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements, was created
in 1987 and is based in Yokohama, Japan. Its website provides information on seminars and training programs on urban planning and development, publications, databases,
Technical Cooperation among Cities of Developing Countries Programme (visits and advisory service) and a newsletter. |
· LOGOTRI
LOGOTRI is a Network of Local Government Training and Research Institutes in Asia and the Pacific. Its
members are both governmental, autonomous and private sector institutions and organizations involved primarily in local government training and research. This site includes
resources developed by practitioners in local government. |
· United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific
region is the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). This site is a resources centre with comparative analysis and country papers on
local governments in Asia and the Pacific. |
Australia
|
· Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
ALGA is the national voice of local government, representing 673 councils across the country. In structure, ALGA is a
federation of state and territory local government associations. This site has a complete set of resources for local governments in Australia. |
Japan
|
· Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)
The Council of Local Authorities for
International Relations (CLAIR) of Japan responds to the rising concerns about local level internationalization in Japan. CLAIR supports current trends in internationalization
and seeks to promote further developments in this area. The site contains information organized according to the type of programs, overseas offices or internal divisional
structure. |
Philippines
|
· Philippines (The Official Government Portal of the Republic of the Philippines)
Local government page of the Official Government Portal of the Republic of the Philippines fulfills a long-felt need for an aggregated information resource
for all the branches of the Philippine Government, i.e. the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary branches on the Internet. |
Euro-Asia
|
· Local Government Information Network (LOGIN)
The mission of LOGIN (based in Budapest) is to promote the professional development of local government officials and their staff
and to strengthen the capabilities of organisations that support the reform of public administration at the local level. LOGIN does this by facilitating the exchange of timely
and useful information at the municipal, regional and national level throughout the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Participating
countries are: Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia.
The website (in the English language) mainly gives links to websites of participating countries and their respective local government organisations. There is a calendar of
events and a library, accessible through a search engine. However not all documents are downloadable. |
· UCLG Euro-Asia
The site of the UCLG Euro-Asia Regional Section, is a voluntary international
association of associations, unions and individual municipalities in the former Soviet Union. The site contains projects and events, analytical articles, publications and
contacts. It is both in English and Russian. |
Russian Federation
|
· Center for Legal Support to Local Government
A non-governmental and non-for-profit organization. Set up in June 2002. The Center exists to help municipalities of the
Russian Federation, as well as municipal establishments and enterprises, public territorial self-management structures and regional governments, by offering them professional
legal services. |
· Interregional Information Technologies Fund
The informational digest that contains regularly updated analytical topics about local government problems: scientific
conferences materials, governmental information, news releases, mass-media articles. |
· Moscow Public Scientific Fund
The Fund was
established in 1991. This site contains regularly updated information about the “Local Self-Government” Program, that is developed by the fund to assist local authorities in
the region in Russia/CIS in formation and effective policy realization. The program is supported by “Eurasia” fund. |
· Questions of the Local Authorities
This reference portal contains various data: news of the local government sphere in Russia and CIS, reference information, local governments links list etc. |
· Russian Cities Union
Russian Cities Union is the all-Russian municipal
association, created in 1991 to represent the interests of urban municipal institutions at the federal level. |
· Saint-Petersburg Government
The site of the
municipal government of Saint-Petersburg. |
· Siberian and Far Eastern Cities Association
Russian Cities Union is the all-Russian municipal association, created in 1991 to represent the interests of urban municipal
institutions at the federal level. |
· Urban Economics Institute (Moscow)
The Institute for Urban Economics (IUE) is a non-governmental and non-profit organization established in 1995 in Moscow. It was created to identify and analyze
the social and economic problems of urban areas and promote solutions to these problems. The site contains a lot of useful applied information about problems of urban and
municipal economics of the present day. |
Europe
|
· Association of European Border Regions (AEBR)
The Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), which is based in Gronau (Germany) acts for the
benefit of all European border and cross-border regions. Its objectives, among others, are: to represent the overall interest of the border regions to various national and
international organisations; to exchange know how and experience; to support in the solutions of cross-border problems.
The website (which is in French, German and English) gives information about the organisation and its partners, about events and activities. There is an area which offers
downloadable publications (in various languages) and an area with a limited number of links. |
· Committee of the Regions of the European Union (CoR)
Based in Brussels, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) is a political assembly that provides local and regional
authorities with a voice at the heart of the European Union. The CoR addresses two main issues. Firstly, since three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or
regional level, it is important for local and regional representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws. Secondly, to make sure that the public would not be
left behind and thus involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens was one way of closing the gap.
The website gives information about the CoR organisations and its activities. Furthermore there is an abundance of documents that can be downloaded, press releases, brochures
and multimedia presentations. |
· Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR)
The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions is based in Rennes and brings together 154
regions.
Being located along Europe’s shoreline brings both advantages and specific difficulties, so 154 regions have come together to form the Conference of Peripheral Maritime
Regions of Europe (CPMR). They are from 26 countries and represent more than 170 million people. They work together to ensure that EU institutions and national governments
take account of their common interests, and cooperate on practical projects in order to enhance their assets.
The website (both in French and in English) gives information about the CPMR, the member regions (both on a map and via an alphabetical list), various commission,
documentation and news items. |
· Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe (CLRAE)
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities succeeded the
Conference in 1994 as a Council of Europe consultative body.
The Congress is a political assembly composed of representatives holding an electoral mandate as members of a local or regional authority appointed each by a specific
procedure. Its 315 full members and 315 substitute members, representing over 200 000 European municipalities and regions, are grouped by national delegation and by political
group. Thus the Congress offers a forum for dialogue where representatives of local and regional authorities discuss common problems, compare notes about their experiences and
then put their points of view to the national governments.
Its website is part of the Councils of Europe’s portal. It contains information about the Congress itself (history and structure) and about its activities. There is a search
function and a newsletter. Also there is a special section for documentation and the LOREG Library, a pan-European collection of official and other information on local and
regional democracy in Europe. |
· Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is the largest organisation of local and regional
government in Europe. Its members are national associations of towns, municipalities and regions from over 30 countries. Together these associations represent some 100,000
local and regional authorities. CEMR has offices in Paris and in Brussels.
CEMR aims to promote a united Europe that is based on local and regional self-government and democracy. CEMR carries out its mission by working on many fields of activity,
organizing its committees and working groups and promoting the town twinning network.
Its website contains information about CEMR; news articles; an extensive overview of the fields of activities; an area in which CEMR’s policy position are documented; various
press releases and publications; forms to subscribe to the CEMR newsletter and contact information. |
· DG Regio, Regional Policy Directorate-General
The Regional Policy Directorate-General is the department in the European Commission responsible for
European measures to assist the economic and social development of the less-favoured regions of the European Union. Supporting regional development is vital for stability in
the European Union. The aim is to promote a high level of competitiveness and employment by helping the least prosperous regions and those facing structural difficulties to
generate sustainable development by adapting to change in the labour market and to worldwide competition.
The (multilingual) website contains downloadable documents (most importantly the management plan) and a few links to other sites. |
· Energie-Cités
With over 110 members in 21 countries and representing close to 300 towns and
cities, Energie-Cités (which is based in Besançon, France) is the association of European local authorities for the promotion of local sustainable energy policies. One of the
main objectives of Energie-Cités is to promote experiences and allow cities to discover best practice as used in other municipalities.
It does so through its website (in the English and French language). Here, in the "experiences of towns and cities" section, there is a database of more than 400 examples of
good practice as well as other publications that can be downloaded or ordered from the information officer. Information is structured and accessible by topic. There is a
member’s area. |
· Eurocities
Eurocities (based in Brussels) is the network of major European cities. Founded in 1986,
the network brings together the local governments of more than 120 large cities in over 30 European countries. EUROCITIES provides a platform for its member cities to share
knowledge and ideas, to exchange experiences, to analyse common problems and develop innovative solutions, through a wide range of Forums, Working Groups, Projects, activities
and events.
The Eurocities website (only in English) contains information pages (news, events calendar, publications and press releases) and information on the organisation, its members
and activities. Seven topics which are important for cities around Europe (cooperation, culture, economy, environment, knowledge society, mobility and social affairs) are
presented in a well structured format: news, documents, events, forum, working groups and projects. |
· Euromed
Euromed is a Euro-Mediterranean cities working group (the Euromed Pact committee) under the umbrella of
Eurocities (based in Brussels). Its objective is for cities from EU member states and the southern and eastern Mediterranean shores to come closer together, to dialogue and to
propose new prospects for the development of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. It does so by identifying the common interests of the towns and cities of Euro-Mediterranean
partnership; enabling other municipalities to benefit from the expertise of the relevant towns and cities in the management of urban problems; developing the capabilities of
local authorities through training and promoting good practices in local development by observing the local situations.
The website (which is in English and French) provides information on the working group; corporation projects and financial instruments; the minutes of meetings and the member
towns. Also there is a forum and discussion area. |
· European Network of Training Organisations for Local and Regional Authorities (ENTO)
Created by the Council of Europe (and as such based in Strasbourg), ENTO aims to promote democratic and effective governance by ensuring that the staff
and elected representatives of local and regional authorities are well trained and qualified to carry out their responsibilities in a rapidly changing world. Activities
include seminars and conferences, training, publications and research.
ENTO’s website presents information on the organisation and its activities, newsletters and publications. Also there is a restricted member’s area. |
· International Labour Organization - Delnet Programme
Delnet is a local development support programme run by the International Training
Centre of the International Labour Organization, one of the United Nations´ specialized agencies. The International Training Centre of the ILO is based in Turin, Italy. It
offers training in areas such as job creation, improving working conditions, workers´ rights, equal opportunities and social dialogue.
The website (which also offers information in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian) provides mainly information about DELNET itself and its possibilities. There is Intranet for
participants with a virtual classroom, documents, a forum (a space to disseminate information and experience) and links to other institutions’ websites. A number of
publications can be downloaded in the language of choice. |
· Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative
The Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative (based in Budapest) has as its
central task the development of democratic and effective government at sub-national levels. The sharing of expertise between countries can contribute significantly to the
reform process in the region. The primary mission of LGI is to foster cross-border cooperation and support and disseminate potentially important policy studies that should
have a significant impact on public policy reform.
The headings of the website are both in Hungarian and in English, but the content however is only in English. The website contains information on the organisation,
announcements, newsletters, information on how to apply for funding and on how to write proposals, country profiles, project database, publications etc. Also there is a
members section |
· Local Government Information Network (LOGIN)
The mission of LOGIN (based in Budapest) is to promote the professional development of local government officials and their staff
and to strengthen the capabilities of organisations that support the reform of public administration at the local level. LOGIN does this by facilitating the exchange of timely
and useful information at the municipal, regional and national level throughout the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Participating
countries are: Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia.
The website (in the English language) mainly gives links to websites of participating countries and their respective local government organisations. There is a calendar of
events and a library, accessible through a search engine. However not all documents are downloadable. |
· Steering Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR)
Prerequisites of local democracy, in accordance with the European Charter of
Local Self-Government, are a clear division of responsibilities between central government and local authorities, the assigning of financial resources of their own to local
authorities, commensurate with the tasks for which they are responsible, and freedom for them to decide how to use these.
CDLR is the main intergovernmental body in charge of local democracy issues. Its work usually leads to the publication of reports and guidelines and to the adoption by the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of recommendations and conventions.
The web pages of CDLR are part of the website of the Council of Europe. On these pages, documentation on legal affairs and on local and regional democracy can be found as for
example a study series that provides national reports on the structure and operation of local and regional democracy in the member states of the Council of Europe. |
· WelcomeEurope.com
Welcomeurope.com (based in Paris) has been created by French
and Dutch experts willing to initiate closer cooperation between local actors and the European institutions. WelcomeEurope supports local actors to be successful in acquiring
European funding. In this it covers the following 3 main activities: information and follow-up support on European funding; training sessions on how to apply for funding;
advise on EU applications procedures.
On the website (in English and in French) there is one section on the search for EU-funding. Another provides services in obtaining funding such as identifying partners for
individual projects and training. There is an (log-in) area for members, information on products etc. and links to websites of European Institutions, partners etc. |
France
|
· URBAMET
URBAMET is based in Paris and is the French library databank on urban development, town planning,
housing and accommodation, architecture, public facilities, transport, local authorities etc. At the moment it offers over 215,000 document references. It is focused primarily
on France and Europe, as well as the major cities around the world and in developing countries. URBAMET’s collection comprises a very wide range of documents (notably
journals, theses, books). Urbamet is associated with peer organisations in England, Italy, Germany and Spain.
The website (of which some parts are only in French, others also in English and Spanish) contains information on the organisation and its associates as well as access to the
databank. Via a search engine it provides free access to the last 2 years of the Urbamet databank. |
Greece
|
· Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Government
The Hellenic Agency for Local Development and Local Government SA (EETAA)
is based in Athens. EETAA´s purpose is to provide local government agencies, the public sector and social agencies with the professional and technical support they require. It
does so by providing support to local authorities in areas as varied as: legal services; enterprise activities; information systems and technological applications; social
policy cultural activities and the workforce.
The website is in Greek with limited information on the services EETAA delivers in English. |
Netherlands
|
· Dutch Knowledge Centre for Large Towns and Cities (KCGS International)
The Dutch Knowledge
Centre for larger Towns and Cities (KCGS International) is based in The Hague. It was set up to make the information contained in the database on development in large Dutch
cities, available to towns and cities throughout Europe, and thus to play a leading role in the exchange of knowledge on the problems facing Europe´s towns and cities.
The website contains an extensive library of case and research documents on various topics (some downloadable), there is an area with news, one that lists upcoming meetings
and one that gives information on KCGS International. |
Latin America
|
· Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL)
The web site of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It includes analysis and evaluations of public policies in Latin-American countries and interesting
annual regional statistical studies, as well as a publishing centre that focuses on key issues related to development policy. It also includes a database on cooperation and
cooperation projects http://www.eclac.org/cooperacion/. It is mainly in Spanish although some publications are in English |
· Federación de Municipios del Istmo Centroamericano (FEMICA)
The Federation of Municipalities of the Central American is an
organization consisting of Central American municipalities, associations, unions, leagues and confederations, at national, regional, departmental or provincial level.
FEMICA’s website includes information on the board of directors of the municipalities of the region, research documents and a directory of consultants. |
· Federación Latinoamericana de Ciudades, Municipios y Asociaciones de Gobiernos Locales (FLACMA)
The Latin-American Federation of Cities, Municipalities and Associations, is the Latin-American
Section of United Cities and Local Governments. The website is available in Spanish, and it has links to a significant number of municipalities of the region, as well as
documents and manuals, and a bimonthly bulletin. |
· Mercociudades
Mercocuidades is the main network of municipalities in the Mercosur
organization, and is an important reference source for the integration processes. It includes news, reports on activities related by theme, links, research, agenda of events,
and virtual forums on matters related to the Municipalities of the Southern Cone American countries. |
· Urbared
Urbared is a forum on urban social policies and a product of collaboration with universities. In this
page several resources such as a library, articles on current issues, case studies, and debate forums can be found. The page promotes academic debate on urban social policies
and has a regional cover across Latin America. Its publications are only available in Spanish. |
Brazil
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· Instituto Brasilero de Administración Municipal (IBAM)
The Brazilian Institute of Local Government is an non-governmental non-for-
profit organization which aims to strengthen municipal government in Brazil. The site includes several papers and research projects plus information on courses and events
carried out by the IBAM. |
Colombia
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· Prevención de Violencia en Colombia (Observatorios del Delito)
Prevención de Violencia de Colombia - The Colombia
Programme of Georgetown University and the CISALVA Institute of the University of the Valley have joined in an alliance to develop “Crime Observatories” reports in several
cities, sub regions and some regions of Colombia. The observatory intends to contribute to the strengthening of municipal governance through assessment services and to put
the Violence Prevention and Crime Reduction Programme into practice. |
Mexico
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· E-Local
Information and interactive communication portal among the federation, states, municipalities and
Mexican citizens. It provides information on: decentralization, municipal finance, cooperation, urban development, education, culture, political, and migratory matters. It
also offers the user links to the Mexican states and a great number of Mexican municipalities. E-local is part of INAFED, which is an administrative organization of the Office
of the Secretary of Government of the Federal Government of Mexico |
Venezuela
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· Centro Latinoamericano de Administración para el Desarrollo (CLAD)
The Latin-American Center for
Development Management is an intergovernmental public agency with an international reach. It provides information on public administration, employment and public expenditure.
It offers interesting studies on Regional research and a databank on States and the study of administrative political decentralization in various countries in the region
http://www.clad.org.ve/siare/experiencias.htm. |
Middle East and West Asia
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· Arab Towns Organization (ATO)
Is an
international non-governmental local authority organization specialized on the Arab World’s municipal and town affairs. ATO is particularly concerned with the preservation of
the character and heritage of Arab towns, through ensuring that development and construction plans take account its social, economic, cultural and environmental features. The
site contains Mission & Goals, ATO Structure, Members, Foreign Relations, ATO Magazine, Projects, Calendar of Events, News and Feedback. |
· Turkish Economical and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)
TESEV is an independent think-tank, which forms a bridge between academic research
and the policy-making process. TESEV carries out research based on scientific principles, and seeks to share its findings with the widest possible audience. Tesev is active in
the fields of democratisation and good governance and information on its activities can be found on the website. |
· United Nations Economic & Social Commission for Western Asia
United Nations Economic and
Social Commission for Western Asia is the main UN office for analysis and aid in the region. Of special interest for local governments is the Inclusive Cities program aimed
at assisting cities of the region in ensuring that their development gives priority to the community and that the individual becomes the direct beneficiary of urban
development. |
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
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· United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Iran
UNDP Iran has had a representative office in the Islamic Republic of Iran
since 1966 and has worked closely with its major development partners – the Government, local councils, civil society, academic institutions, and the private sector – to
promote sustainable human development in rural and urban communities. Since 1966, dozens of UNDP-funded projects in such diverse areas as governance, management, the
environment, health, trade, agriculture, and education have been implemented successfully. |
Jordan
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· Sustainable Development Network Programme
SDNP is an enabling mechanism geared to helping Jordan attain goals of sustainable development. This project is the first phase of a long
term undertaking to provide Internet connectivity and access to sustainable development related information for project stakeholders and the general public. |
Turkey
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· United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Turkey
UNDP Turkey works for Democratic Governance and Growth without
Poverty. For more than 50 years the UNDP in Turkey has worked in close partnership with the Turkish government and numerous national and international institutions, including
NGOs, academics and the business community. |
North America
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· Deliberative Democracy Consortium
The Deliberative Democracy Consortium (DDC) is a network of researchers and practitioners working together to strengthen the field of deliberative democracy. Amongst its
interesting resources is a Discussion paper prepared by the Link to Government Work Group. |
Canada
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· Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
Federation of Canadian Municipalities has been the voice of municipal government in Canada since 1901. Members include
Canada´s largest cities, small urban and rural communities and the 17 major provincial and territorial municipal associations. The site includes programs, memberships and
events links for Canadian members; and links to the international program of FCM for the rest of the world. |
United States
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· Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program
Brookings Institution is one of Washington´s oldest think tanks, is an independent, nonpartisan
organization devoted to research, analysis, and public education with an emphasis on governance and metropolitan policy. The site is has a complete listing of news releases,
calendar of events, scholars, business, programs, publications, bookstore and executive training programs. |
· FirstGov – Local government section
The official U.S. gateway to all government information, is the catalyst for a growing electronic government. Includes links to directories, statistics and overall
information on local governments in the US; as well as links to the major local government associations. |
· Government Innovators Network
Government
Innovators Network is a portal produced by The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard´s John F. Kennedy School of Government, is a marketplace of
ideas and examples of government innovation. Browse by topic or theme or search by keyword to access news, documents, descriptions of award-winning programs, and information
on events related to innovation in your area of interest. |
· KnowledgePlex
Created by a distinguished team of founding partners and implemented by the
Fannie Mae Foundation, KnowledgePlex® is designed to support the efforts of practitioners, grantors, policy makers, scholars, investors, and others involved or interested in
the fields of affordable housing and community development. |
· Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington
The Municipal Research & Services Center (MRSC) is a non-profit, independent organization
created in 1969 to continue programs established in 1934 under the Bureau of Governmental Research at the University of Washington. |
· National League of Cities (NLC)
The
National League of Cities is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. Working in partnership with the 49
state municipal leagues, the National League of Cities serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 18,000 cities, villages, and towns it represents. More than
1,600 municipalities of all sizes pay dues to NLC and actively participate as leaders and voting members in the organization. The National League of Cities provides numerous
benefits to its network of state municipal leagues and direct members, besides the usual resources such as events, publications and research, this site provides a clear
understanding of what are the positions of NLC regarding its advocating work. |
· Seattle Public Library, Municipal Codes Online
This page provides Links to city and county codes available for unrestricted searching on the World Wide Web. |
· United States Bureau of Census – Census of Governments
Each of the 87,525 local governments enumerated for the 2002 Census of Governments is
represented in the website. Also included in the Public School Systems file are 1,508 School Systems that are dependent upon their state or local government. These files
contain data on local government fiscal year ending dates, e-government activities, service delivery methods, special district and public school system service areas, and
special district taxing authority. Data are from research, updating coverage in the universe list of local governments, and the Local Government Directory Survey, which
obtained additional information on the characteristics of local governments. |
Metropolitan
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· METREX - The Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas
METREX is the Network of European Metropolitan
Regions and Areas. It is a network of practitioners, that is, politicians, officials and their advisers, concerned with the spatial planning and development at the
metropolitan level. Metrex is developed in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese. Metrex has developed many projects as a network and one can find the
reports of the different projects in the site. |
· METROPOLIS - World Association of the Major Metropolises
Metropolis is the metropolitan section of United Cities & Local
Government organization (UCLG). The site is in English, Spanish and French. It contains a news archive, newsletters, the dossier of the action plan for 2005-2008, an overview
of the standing commissions, training and technical assistance activities, and links to the Member Cities web sites. |
· Projet international Metropolis
The
Project international Metropolis coordinates a whole range of activities carried out by members of organizations that research and develop public policies to improve policies
on immigration by the application of the outcomes of university research. It includes access to a virtual library, good practice, events and publications. |
· The Mega-Cities Project
The Megacities Project is a
transnational non-profit network of community, academic, government, business, and media leaders dedicated to sharing innovative solutions to urban problems. Our aim is to
make cities more socially just, ecologically sustainable, politically participatory and economically vital. Megacities is currently in the process of converting all
publications of the Mega-Cities Project to Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). However, it already carries a wide range of texts. |
France
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· Institut d’Aménagement et d’Urbanisme de la Région Ile-de-France (IAURIF)
The
Institute for Urban Planning and Development of the Paris Ile-de-France Region has the Goals of proposing general or sector-based regional planning and development policies
for the region and to design tools in order to implement such policies; and ensuring the smooth running of the research and prospective study centre on regional development
supported by an interdisciplinary body of experts. The most interesting feature of the is a link to the Regional Geographic Information System of the Paris Ile-de-France
Region, where one can see 50 thematic maps used for planning. |
· METROLAB
Metrolab is particularly addressed to the researchers, to the professors and to the French-speaking
students, just as with our colleagues and students of other languages interested by work which develop the French-speaking people on the dynamic territorial ones and the
metropolization. It was born from the reflection of several academics eager to make profitable new communication and information technologies in their occupation. It could see
the day thanks to the financial support several organizations which we make a point of thanking. The site gives access to bibliography and documents research, as well as
debate forums. |
Germany
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· City Population
On this web site, you´ll find statistics and maps about the population
of the countries and major agglomerations of the world. For all countries, information about the population of their administrative divisions and of their principal cities is
provided. |
United States
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· Planetizen - The Planning & Development Network
The Planning & Development Network is a public-interest information exchange provided by Urban Insight for the
urban planning, design and development community. The site maintains a Forum that is extensively used by the practitioners to discuss relevant planning topics. It also has
an interesting list of the top 50 sites for planning. |
· Research on Place and Space
This site developed
by an American university professor pulls together work on the concept of place and planning from a wide range of disciplines. The term "place" does not necessarily have the
same implications or meanings in the different disciplines. The site offers a list of websites, journals, on-line bibliographies & searches, courses and programs, email
discussion lists, conferences and general bibliography and many issues relate to place and space; e.g. planning. |
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