In this April 2011 edition we have details of upcoming events including our online international conference on creativity in tough times, new and existing funding opportunities and the latest development news affecting councils.

Upcoming events

Getting creative in tough times (10-11 May 2011)

Local government innovations from South Africa, New Zealand and Canada will be discussed over a two-day rolling Q&A next month on the Productivity and Efficiency exchange - an online platform set up for local government practitioners to share learning. Open to anyone interested in exploring innovative efficiency measures from overseas, including shared services, funding agencies and transparency. To join in, register on communities of practice.

Can you live on £1 a day for a week?

Across the world around 1.4 billion people have no choice but to live on £1 a day. Take the Live Below the Line challenge and be part of a huge awareness and fundraising campaign making a difference in the fight against extreme poverty. From 2-6 May 2011, people across the UK will be taking the challenge, to join them and find out more visit www.livebelowtheline.org.uk

Funding & other opportunities

The LG alliance is now on twitter, for the latest funding updates, follow us at: lgalliance

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships Scheme

The Commonwealth Professional Fellowships scheme is still open for applications from Local Authorities. Funding will cover the costs of hosting professionals from authorities in developing countries for a period of 1 to 6 months. The closing date for the first round of 2011 applications is 21 April 2011...further info

Host a Commonwealth Fellow with VSO support

Would you like a different perspective on your current work? Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is seeking host organisations for a 3 month fully funded work placements for Alfred Mungalu, a Council secretary from a District Council from Zambia, and Mumuni Damma Shaiku, a District Planning Officer (strategic planning for the council) from Ghana…find out more here.

Wales Africa Community Links Grants and Training

Wales Africa Community Links have recently announced their latest grant funding programme. Applications close on 3 May 2011. For more information on grant funding click here. A new training programme has also recently been developed to support welsh organisations click here for further info on training  

Big Lottery Fund - International Communities Programme (£50,000 - £500,000)

The International Communities Programme funds projects that focus on tackling the causes of poverty and deprivation and bring about a long-term difference to the most disadvantaged people in the world. You can now apply for grants of £50,000 to £500,000 for projects lasting from two to five years. read more...

European Funding for Local Authorities: timetable announced

The timetable for the publication of calls for proposals (2011/2012) has been announced. Calls for proposals for multi-country and for education & development will be launched in early November 2011. The timetable for calls by country is also available here

At home: news from UK councils

Global Learning in the London Borough of Lewisham

There are 164 different languages represented in Lewisham’s schools. However, even in the 15th most diverse borough in the country, the visit of three South African delegates as part of the Global School Partnerships (GSP) programme still had the power to capture the attention and imagination of Primary School children across the borough…read more

Bristol Schools experience Fairtrade first hand

Bristol school children gained a real life experience of the impacts of Fairtrade when Jitzy Centeno, a Fairtrade Coffee producer from Nicaragua visited Bristol during Fairtrade Fortnight (Feb 28 to March 13). Local authorities in South Gloucestershire and Bristol have been involved in the preparations and were able to see how their efforts in promoting Fairtrade and ethical procurement in locally is impacting lives overseas…read more

Sierra Leone Council Chief Exec visits Warwickshire partners

A leading light in African local government spent two weeks sharing learning in Warwickshire. Funded by the CLGF Good Practice Scheme, William Alpha, Chief Administrator (CEO) of Bo City Council in Sierra Leone visited his partner authority -Warwickshire County Council - to progress cooperation on planning, waste management, financial management, environmental health and water issues…read more

Local Economic Development Consensus at Cardiff Commonwealth Conference

Commonwealth Local Government Forum members have pledged to develop partnerships with business, the private sector and development agencies to encourage and improve economic development. The Cardiff Consensus for Local Economic Development, developed at the Commonwealth Local Government Conference in March 2011, also commits local government to become more strategic when developing local infrastructure, tourism and services...read more

Schools Minister launches Sustainable Schools Alliance

Representatives from across the education sector came together in London earlier this month for the launch of the Sustainable Schools Alliance, a network which aims to put sustainability at the core of school life...read more

Development news and comment

Cities: the real battle ground against climate change

UN-HABITAT’s Global Report on Human Settlements 2011 - Cities and Climate Change says urban centres have become "the real battle-ground" in the fight against climate change and cities will "neglect their role in responding to this crisis at their peril. Not just their own peril but that of the world."... read more

Decentralised development - European perspectives

PLATFORMA, the European voice of local and regional authorities for development, has recently released its publication Decentralised development cooperation - European perspectives. The publication showcases a number of case studies from across Europe including two UK examples: the Leicester partnership with Rajkot in India around water and sanitation, and the Rhondda Cynon Taf climate change partnership with Mbale in Uganda.

Brussels Urban Declaration

Despite recent news that DFID is cutting its budget to UN Habitat (the United Nations agency promoting sustainable urban development), there are a growing number of organisations putting the management of rapid urbanisation at the top of the sustainable development agenda. In January this year, the ‘Brussels Urban Declaration’ committed all EU institutions to closer work with UN-HABITAT and supported institutional capacity building of local authorities as a priority...read more

Chatham House Report – Opportunities for a Coordinated UK Approach to Development

A new paper looking at ‘Scotland and Wales in Africa: Opportunities for a Coordinated UK Approach to Development’ was launched by Chatham House last month. The report suggests that at a time when DFID and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) face significant cuts, there is now a great opportunity to encourage innovative and better coordinated development policies across all levels of government...read more

Have you had a look at the Interaction toolkit? It includes guidance & resources to support your international work, self assessment questions, case studies from other UK councils, hints, tips and more!