Women Leading Democratic Change
Impact, Results and Lessons from ICLD’s programme Women’s Political Leadership This anthology brings together reflections, lessons, and stories from women politicians who have sought to create change in their communities. While political leadership is often described through policies, institutions, and election results, less attention is given to its everyday realities: building trust, navigating resistance, forging…
Taking the word
Indigenous Women’s Struggle for Equality in Colombia and Guatemala This roadmap provides a strategic framework for the local governments of Leticia and Panajachel to bridge the gap between legal commitments and the meaningful political influence of Indigenous women. Although current regulatory frameworks for women’s participation in Colombia and Guatemala have strengthened formal mechanisms and created…
Weaving the spoken word through sentipensar
Women transforming social norms to influencelocal governance in Guatemala and Colombia Across Latin America, important legal and policy advances have sought to expand women’s participation in public life. Yet in many local contexts, these formal gains have not translated into meaningful influence. This study explores this gap by asking: how do social norms shape women’s…
A Network Approach to Democratic Resilience
How municipal partnerships collaborate across borders to strengthen democratic practices in times of war Since 2022, Ukrainian local self-government authorities (LGs) find themselves at the forefront of a war that has placed renewed emphasis on their crisis preparedness and resilience. The International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) has within its mandate to support municipal partnerships…
Unlocking Climate Finance for Local Goverments in Sub-Saharan Africa
A practical guide for municipal and regional officials Local governments are on the frontline of climate change. Across sub-Saharan Africa, municipalities and regions are facing growing climate-related risks such as floods, droughts, extreme heat, and water stress, while often working with limited financial and institutional capacity. This toolbox has been developed as a practical guide…
Participation is not enough
Women, intersectionality, and local democracy in Colombia In Colombia, participatory mechanisms have opened spaces for women, but these spaces have not enabled their political agency as expected. Often, these mechanisms have focused on “women” generically, reproducing discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, and class. Drawing on a case study of the Women’s Advisory Council (WAC) of…
Who gets to take part?
Toolbox for local governments to strengthen political participation with an intersectional perspective This toolbox aims to support local governments in strengthening political participation from an intersectional point of view. It guides readers to understand how different socio-economic, political, cultural, and gendered dynamics can affect people’s ability to partake in political activities, and proposes practical approaches…
Unlocking climate finance for local governments in sub-Saharan Africa
Analytical foundations for a practitioner toolbox Local governments in sub-Saharan Africa are at the forefront of climate change impacts, yet remain significantly under-resourced to respond effectively. This working paper presents analytical insights, case-based evidence, and governance lessons on climate finance for local governments in Sub-Saharan Africa. It draws on literature, comparative cases, and ICLD facilitated…
Transversal Working for Democratic Action
This toolkit grows out of the work of the ICLD Climate Action Network, where African and Swedish municipalities partnered through the ICLD Municipal Partnership Programme, to implement local climate change projects. Across the network, municipalities used these climate projects as practical entry points to strengthen democratic practice, deliberately integrating participation, equity, transparency, and accountability into…
How local goverments can accelerate EU integration
Lessons from Ukrainian-Swedish municipal partnerships The ICLD Network for Democratic Resilience brings together 30 Swedish and Ukrainian municipalities working to strengthen democratic institutions, inclusive governance, and local resilience in times of crisis and war. This policy brief draws on case studies from 13 partnerships (2022–2026), interviews, and research, showing how peer-to-peer cooperation supports EU integration…
