Created in 2008, PLATFORMA, the European platform for local and regional authorities for Development, gathers 20 members, among which Local Government Association is a key player. PLATFORMA aims to coordinate the voice of local/regional authorities with regards to the European Institutions, in particular for the formulation and implementation of European development policies.

Among its activities, PLATFORMA acts as the technical secretariat of the European Charter on Development cooperation in support of local governance.

The charter was launched during the European Development Days of Strasbourg in November 2008. It proposes a number of principles of reference for more coherence and complementarity between the different actors involved in development cooperation at local level. With aid effectiveness high on the agenda for development actors, it also gives indication of how to apply the Paris Declaration at a local level. Finally, as this document has been drafted throughout a multi-stakeholder process, it is also a tool for better dialogue between those actors involved in local governance, notably between local authorities and civil society organisations.

For PLATFORMA, this Charter is an important advocacy tool aiming to improve EU recognition of the importance of local governments and of local governance in development cooperation. In order to support this, PLATFORMA are currently looking to gather case studies for each principle of the Charter to show how the support of local governance can be diverse and effective.

Contact the PLATFORMA Secretariat for more information on the Charter and other PLATFORMA activities.