This report was developed jointly by UNDP with its associated funds and programmes, UNV and UNCDF.

Developing the capacity for local governance and local development is essential for delivering on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals. Localizing development should not be seen as a translation of global policies within a local context, but rather as a process based on the empowerment of local stakeholders, aimed at making sustainable development more responsive and more relevant to local needs, aspirations and lives through sustained exchanges between the global, national and local levels.  All partners- the government at all levels, civil society, private sector, development agencies – will need to work together to ensure steady progress on this transformative development agenda. This Integrated Framework to Support Local Governance and Local Development is one of the initial forms of support from the UN system to our partners across societies and economies at different stages of development to set out a strategy to localize this agenda.

The publication of the Framework confirms the recognition across our agencies that we need to realign the way we provide support in the era of the 2030 Agenda. The Framework therefore articulates our shared intent to ensure coherence in the development and deployment of our policies and programming.