So what's new?

Only Ashraf will know, and I have to get to know him better before asking for an honest reply. The fact is that I have no idea what my face revealed when he carefully asked; "No offense Anna, but what's new about this project compared to the previous ones?" I squirmed while the reflection of the naïve Swede passed by in the office window. I had somewhat prepared for the question and took a deep breath; "The truth is that the only new thing is that we are not promising anything "new and improved"", I said. "We are four associations for local authorities determined to assist our members and thereby their citizens. We know that there are great models, good practices and competent and committed staff in the member municipalities. We need to find the good things that are already there and spread them further." Is what I wish I had said.

We are an odd collection of partners, SALAR; just celebrating its 100 anniversary and busy re-inventing itself to fit the new times, SALGA; a part of what has been known as "the world's best constitution" and thereby carrying part of the heavy load of expectations, ALAN; with a historic background and today working to get a reserved chair at the negotiating table and finally BALA; in the eye of the storm when the decentralisation window is opened wide by the new administration.

Uniting us is the vision of speaking with "one voice" on behalf of local government, this vital tier of government that mean so much for the every day life of the average citizen.

But in the perspective of poor people worldwide, there is a deep and widespread crisis in governance. While the range of institutions that play important roles in people's lives is vast, worrying numbers of people are in reality excluded from true participation in the issues that concern them the most. State institutions, whether represented by central ministries or local government, are to a varying degree neither responsive nor accountable to their constituencies and not surprisingly, men and women, poor and rich lack confidence in these state institutions.

In the presence of dysfunctional state institutions, people tend to turn for help to institutions of the private sector or civil society. And as associations of local governments, we acknowledge civil society as a power to build the trust, participation and accountability in local government. We need civil society to build institutions that have goals - and meet their goals - and that are effective in the sense that they offer accessible and affordable services.

The partnership between the four associations has its focus on finding suitable methods to promote good practice towards accountable and transparent local governance focusing on output oriented participation and qualitative interaction with the communities. We are doing it by interacting with and within 25 partner municipalities and will spread the experiences further to our members.

Anna Backmann