The ICLD’s purpose, as part of Swedish development co-operation, is to promote local democracy in low and middle-income countries. For the ICLD, local democracy principally concerns strengthening local institutions, issues regarding decentralisation, local autonomy, citizen influence and collaboration between various participants.
Co-operating with existing institutions and authorities, as opposed to constructing parallel activities, is fundamental to the ICLD. Combining mutuality and local ownership, as well as acting on the different contexts of the co-operating partners, are also integral.
Combating poverty and having a rights-based approach are the primary targets of Swedish development co-operation. These both support and partly overlap each other. The approach to alleviating poverty is multi-dimensional and includes people’s ability to influence their own lives and development, particularly in local society. The ICLD’s operations to promote local democratic development therefore form a central part in combating poverty.
In addition to international and national policy documents – as well as agreements between the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the ICLD – the starting points for the activities in 2009 were the ICLD’s own three-year strategy and the 2009 operational plan. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, Lund University and Gotland Municipality are the ICLD’s parent bodies and representatives from these institutes constitute the ICLD board.
The ICLD’s operations mainly cover three principal areas:
- A Centre of Knowledge, which is to play an active role in knowledge gathering and knowledge development within the area of local democracy and also be active regarding the entire centre’s quality assurance work.
- The Municipal Partnership programme supports development co-operation between Swedish municipalities, regions, county councils and similar bodies in about 20 developing countries.
- International Training Programmes offer qualified, long-term educational measures and are aimed at key figures/change agents in Sida’s partner countries.
The combination of these three areas of operation concerning knowledge development, practical experience and long-term educational courses paves the way for unique opportunities to promote and develop local democracy.
