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The Launch Conference of the Third Edition

The launch conference of the Third Edition was held on 24 October both at the OECD headquarters and online. The conference gathered over 150 participants onsite, including the project co-founders and partners, international organisations and representatives from all levels of government, and around 150 participants online. It included presentations and roundtable discussions on the key findings of the SNG-WOFI.

More information about the conference are available here.

Events

 

 2023 Malaga conference WOFI

Special session “World Observatory” during the Malaga High-Level Policy Dialogue on Municipal Finance

Malaga, Spain

5-6 October 2023

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The 2023 Málaga Coalition Conference, jointly organised by UNCDF, UCLG and FMDV, aimed to discuss how the international financial environment can be reframed to better support local and regional governments in dealing with three large challenges: (i) urban and rural transition driven by rapid demographic change; (ii) green transition towards net zero and environmental sustainability; (iii) productive transition from low to high productivity levels to improve living standards and ensure public services for all. A special session, based on the third edition of the OECD-UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment, was dedicated to discuss on "Accountability, transparency and evidenced-based policy making through financial data for improved local financial resilience”. It took place on 6 October 2023 from 2pm to 3.30pm in Malaga and online.
 WOFI - IDB conference

Fifth International Forum of the Network on Decentralisation and Subnational Fiscal Management in Latin America and the Caribbean

Quinto Foro Internacional de la Red de Descentralización y Gestión Fiscal Subnacional de América Latina y el Caribe

20-21 March 2023

Access the presentation here

The Fifth International Forum of the Network on Decentralisation and Subnational Fiscal Management in Latin America and the Caribbean, organised by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), took place in Brasilia from 20-21 March 2023. The event aimed to foster dialogue for the generation of a possible agenda on decentralisation and subnational fiscal management for Latin America and the Caribbean. During the meeting, participants presented some initiatives that the Bank is currently supporting in the region, enriched with the experience and perspectives of the members of the Network. The OECD also presented key fndings from the latest edition of the SNG-WOFI. This exchange between experts and representatives from participating countries will serve to define national priorities on these topics, and to identify the issues and/or projects that the IDB could support in the coming years.


UNCDF conference

High-Level Policy Dialogue on Subnational Government Finance: Accelerating Prosperity and Transformation in LDCs

5 March 2023

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On the occasion of the 5th Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the OECD and UNCDF are organising a High-level policy dialogue on subnational government finance. This event aims to raise awareness of the investment financing gap in sustainable development and economic recovery in the LDCs and to showcase concrete financial mechanisms and instruments that drive sustainable urbanisation. With an introductory presentation based on key findings from the SNG-WOFI, the event helped to understand the data gap in subnational finance and data-driven reforms in the LDCs and to call for international solidarity and support to secure the financing needed for subnational transformative investments which will contribute to the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action.

 SNG WOFI - UEMOA

UEMOA regional workshop on inter-governmental transfers to subnational governments

20 January 2023

On January 20, 2023, the OECD and UCLG made a joint presentation of the SNG-WOFI to representatives of State members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), associations of local governments, subnational governments themselves and development partners including the regional project of GIZ, UCLG Africa and UNCDF. The event took place during a validation workshop on a study on intergovernmental fiscal transfers in West Africa.This presentation was an opportunity to present the project to the representatives of the countries and subnational governments present, to highlight the key figures of the 3rd for the Africa region, and to discuss the challenges specific to the region in terms of subnational finances.


DeLoG Knowledge and DiaLoGue Week Banner

DeLoG-UCLG Webinar on Inclusive Local Finance in Times of Economic Downturn and Crisis – the case of the Philippines

7 December 2022

Read the Webinar Summary in English, French and Spanish

 

Following the release of the 3rd edition of the SNG WOFI report on October 2022 by the OECD and UCLG, the UCLG World Secretariat organized a webinar on “Inclusive Local Finance in Times of Economic Downturn and Crisis” on December 7th, in the framework of the DeLoG Network Knowledge and Dialogue Days. As many countries are still facing the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis and already tackling other crises, this meeting gave an opportunity to discuss and put forth collaboration among stakeholders with a role to play in subnational finances. Local and regional governments are key actors to plan inclusive development and recovery from crises but they cannot act alone. They work within a national legislative framework, a complex multi-stakeholder environment and in accordance to the needs of their inhabitants. Based on SNG WOFI data, the OECD presented the state of decentralisation and subnational finances in the region. To have a complete overview of the actions to invest in for a positive change in the local finance structure and trends in the Philippines, the panel discussion included speakers from the League of Cities of the Philippines and the Bureau of Local Government Finance of the Philippines, Synergeia, a Filipino education NGO and the Asian Development Bank.


ADB-OECD Webinar on fiscal decentralisation and multi-level governance in Asia and the Pacific

23 November 2022 

On 23 November 2022, the ADB and the OECD hosted a joint webinar on the challenges and opportunities of fiscal decentralisation in Asia and the Pacific, in the framework of the Third edition of the SNG-WOFI. Following opening remarks from ADB and OECD, discussions included a presentation of key findings on subnational finance and multi-level governance in Asia and the Pacific by the OECD, as well as an overview of the City Enabling Environment Rating initiative by UCLG-ASPAC, and a presentation of subnational government finance and its implications on public service delivery and SDGs in the Philippines by the Bureau of Local Government Finance of the Philippines. The webinar’s agenda, key takeaways, recording as well as PowerPoint presentations are available here.  


Property tax Across the World- Evidence from the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance

5 April 2022

Access the Webinar Summary

Tax revenue is a major source of revenue for subnational governments across the world and property tax is the key local tax. Given this importance, the third edition of the World Observatory on Subnational Finance and Investment features a greater focus and more systemic approach to property tax data collection. GIZ partnered with the World Observatory for this most recent edition to reflect the significance of the property tax. The webinar gathered the OECD, UCLG, and other participants to dive into this dimension. 


UCLG Massive Open Online Course - Introduction to Subnational Government Finances

Self-paced course available on the #LearningWithUCLG platform

Available in French and Spanish Español

 

 

Launched in October 2021, this MOOC is designed as an introduction to Subnational Government Finances across the world. Largely based on the data and findings of the 2019 edition of the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment, the course was developed by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), with valuable contributions from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and other key partners including the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).


Workshop on local government financing mechanisms and information systems in West Africa

11-14 October 2021

A regional workshop was held in Cotonou, Benin, to discuss and exchange experiences on the national financing mechanisms for subnational governments in 8 West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

The event was convened by the National Commission on Local Finance - CONAFIL of Benin, with the support of the GIZ regional project on decentralisation in West Africa, in collaboration with the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment, UCLG Africa and UNCDF. The event brought together some sixty participants, including representatives from local and regional governments, Subnational Development Banks, regional organisations and development partners. The workshop was an opportunity to present the state of play of African local government finances compared to the rest of the world, based on the findings of the World Observatory. A specific segment was devoted to the issue of fiscal information systems, where participants highlighted the main obstacles to the collection, analysis and public dissemination of local and regional governments' financial data, and how to improve them. The workshop concluded with concrete recommendations addressed to WAEMU bodies, central administrations, financial intermediaries and local governments associations, to develop local government financing tools and strengthen local finance information systems.


 

Main page_covid conference

Webinar on Local Governments and COVID-19 crisis

23 April 2020

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The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), in collaboration with the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and in partnership with Metropolis and UN-Habitat, is organising a Live Learning Experience on financing solutions for local and regional governments and their partners in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

World Urban Forum (10th session) logo

The World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment at the 10th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF)

11 February 2020

Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center

Access more details on the SNG-WOFI at World Urban Forum

A session will be organised on the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment to present the key findings of the Observatory's 2019 Report and highlight the relevance of this instrument to inform international dialogue, public debate and decision making at all levels to make fiscal decentralisation work in support of the implementation of the Sustainble Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda.


Webinar_Screenshot

Webinar organised by DeLoG on SNG-WOFI 

28 November 2019

Listen the recording and access the presentations of the webinar

The Development Partners Network on Decentralisation and Local Governance (DeLoG) conducted a webinar on Local Finance, focussing on the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment and highlighting use and usefulness for management and practitioners in international cooperation.

 

First SNG-WOFI International Conference

17 June, 2019

First International Conference of the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment

Towards a global understanding of multilevel governance and finance systems 

Click here for detailed information of the conference

Paris, France