WHERE CHANGE HAPPENS. Local governance to tackle multidimensional poverty and inequality

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has now been set and provides a clear framework for the vast majority of development initiatives and actions that will follow over the next 15 years in any country in the world. The effectiveness of development strategies for achieving such goals and reducing multidimensional forms of poverty and inequality is not just about deploying resources; it is also about improving governance processes and mechanisms. Although it is clear that development effectiveness plays an important role at the national and international levels, the role it plays at the local level is less well recognised and typically lost in debates on sustainable development. More space needs to be devoted to action at the local level for tackling poverty and inequality. Once the multifaceted and multidimensional nature of poverty and inequality are recognised, we believe it becomes self-evident that it is necessary to move beyond their characterisation as global or national phenomena by focusing also on their distinctive local features within the primary context in which people live and interact. The general objective of this paper is to describe the position of Oxfam and ARCO on how local governance processes can play an important role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, we emphasise the importance of enabling local actors to lead and influence policy action and practices within a system of multilevel relations, in order to address multidimensional poverty and inequality. It is important to have a common understanding and framework on local governance to ensure it gains a central position within the development debate and can more effectively influence social change for human flourishing.