Inclusive leadership and governance

  • Reporting on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Sweden: VLRs and their implications for local democracy

    Reporting on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Sweden: VLRs and their implications for local democracy

    In 2021, four Swedish municipalities – Helsingborg, Malmö, Stockholm, and Uppsala – published their first Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), a report on the status of local implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). VLRs have become a common instrument for subnational governments to show progress in the achievement…

  • Toolbox for VLR, Voluntary Local Reviews

    Toolbox for VLR, Voluntary Local Reviews

    This toolbox provides support to local governments that are interested in monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using the Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), while contributing to local democracy. The stories and practical tips presented allow the reader to gain first-hand knowledge of the VLRs that local governments are developing…

  • Barcelona against the state: Defending the rights of people to seek refuge

    Case description In 2015, Europe confronted a major immigration-related crisis. War in Syria and political and economic instability in the vicinity of the European Union (EU) prompted the arrival of the highest number of immigrants and refugees since the Second World War (Trauner, 2016). EU member states discussed what should be done. In the end,…

  • Backyard rentals, municipal connections, and the right to housing, South Africa

    This teaching case introduces a scenario involving backyard dwellers in a city in South Africa and raises the question of whether the municipality should provide connection points for municipal services to backyard dwellers. It presents a dilemma between the right to housing on the one hand, and municipal concerns around planning, legal matters, safety, funding…

  • Youth participation in local government in South Africa

    This scenario relates to the right of youth to participate in local government and introduces a case of land and water pollution in the Municipality of Lower Valley, which intersects with a variety of rights – (1) right to participate, (2) right of access to food and (3) right to a safe environment. The Municipality…

  • Language rights in local governance, South Africa

    This teaching case illustrates the importance of communities to engage the municipality in their own language and the tension and potential exclusion that arises when community members are forced to engage in a mainstream language. On the one hand, the municipal administration, working with limited resources, wants to limit the number of languages used, and…

  • Reducing the negative effects of climate change: Lessons from the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change in Budapest

    Reducing the negative effects of climate change: Lessons from the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change in Budapest

    In 2020 the City Council of Budapest invited locals to take part in the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change in order to develop a climate strategy that matched people’s lives and aspirations. This policy brief provides empirical evidence of how local governments can address the problems of climate change in cooperation with non-governmental organisations and…

  • Håbo, Livingstone and Victoria Falls – Zambia/Zimbabwe

    Håbo, Livingstone and Victoria Falls – Zambia/Zimbabwe

    Youth Rights Connect Håbo, Livingstone and Victoria Falls municipalities are carrying out an Inception to have the opportunity to jointly develop a project plan closely linked to human right topics youth rights to participation, education and well being and Agenda 2030, Goals: 1 No Poverty, 3 Good health and Well-being, 4 Quality Education and 5…

  • Falkenberg, Sundays river valley och Sarah Baartman district – South Africa

    Falkenberg, Sundays river valley och Sarah Baartman district – South Africa

    Building bridges The partners state that children and youth exclusion often is perpetuated by poverty and inequality, which limit access to resources and opportunities for young people to improve their social mobility and economic prospects. For the South African partners the objectives are to gain capability to: No interventions or activities for youth shall be…

  • Ekerö och Cape Agulhas, Sydafrika

    Ekerö och Cape Agulhas, Sydafrika

    Inclusion through developing dialogue and cooperation between civil society and the municipality The aim of the project is to investigate how to develop dialogue and cooperation between civil society (non-governmental organisations or networks and citizens) and the respective municipalities. A focus area for the cooperation will be identified, such as developing methods for citizen dialogue,…