Report on “Understanding and supporting the role of local organizations in sustainable development launched”

Citation

(2009), "Report on “Understanding and supporting the role of local organizations in sustainable development launched”", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 10 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2009.24910dab.002

Report on “Understanding and supporting the role of local organizations in sustainable development launched”

Article Type: News From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 10, Issue 4

All poverty reduction is local, which is easy to forget given how discussion and debate on the subject is dominated by bilateral aid agencies, development banks, national governments and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Regardless of higher level commitments and decisions, what actually happens on the ground in particular localities is what makes the difference. Many barriers to poverty reduction are local – local power structures, land owning patterns and anti-poor politicians, bureaucracies and regulations. Much of what the poor require – schools, healthcare, water and sanitations, land, social safety nets and getting onto voter registers – must be obtained from local organizations within this local context. Local organizations have a major role in addressing these realities, helping poor groups to access entitlements and engage with government. They may be local NGOs, grassroots organizations of the poor, or even local governments or branches of higher levels of government, but they function on a local level, have intimate knowledge of the local context and should be accountable to local people. This publication is one of a series of case studies and synthesis papers looking at the work of local organizations in development and environmental management. These publications were developed in collaboration with the local organizations they profile, and seek to encourage international funding agencies to rethink the means by which they can support, work with and learn from the local organizations that are such a critical part of pro-poor development. Further details are available at: www.iied.org/pubs/display.php?o=14566IIED