{"id":28960,"date":"2026-09-08T10:09:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T08:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalcitieshub.org\/?p=28960"},"modified":"2026-09-16T10:10:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T08:10:50","slug":"oecd-roundtable-cooperation-sdgs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalcitieshub.org\/en\/oecd-roundtable-cooperation-sdgs\/","title":{"rendered":"GCH takes part in 9th OECD roundtable on cities and regions for SDGs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 8 September, the Global Cities Hub was invited to take part in the 9th OECD Roundtable on Cities and Regions for the SDGs<\/a>, held in Berlin and co-organised by the OECD and Germany. The Roundtable brought together cities, regions, States, international organisations, academia, civil society and other stakeholders to discuss the impact of decentralised development co-operation (DDC) and reflect on the outcomes of the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Decentralised development co-operation: beyond financial transfers<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    One of the key moments of the Roundtable was the launch of the new OECD report The Impact of Decentralised Development Co-operation: Driving Local Governance and the SDGs<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The report provides new evidence on the scale and impact of DDC (i.e. development co-operation led by local and regional governments (LRGs)). The figures are significant: DDC more than doubled between 2013 and 2024, from USD 1.8 billion to USD 3.6 billion (and this figure is most probably underestimated, due to the lack of available data). This growth stands in contrast to the broader trend in development co-operation: total ODA (official development assistance) fell by 23.1% in 2025, the largest annual contraction recorded in the history of ODA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The OECD report also points to an important characteristic of DDC: its benefits are not necessarily confined to the recipient side. Knowledge, expertise and innovation can flow in both directions. \u201cRecipient LRGs\u201d report improvements in areas such as planning, accountability and public service delivery, while \u201cDonor LRGs\u201d identify benefits including new knowledge, policy innovation and stronger co-ordination across levels of government. This reinforces the idea of DDC as a partnership based not only on financial transfers, but also on mutual learning, technical expertise and long-term institutional relationships. In many cases, these non-financial dimensions are precisely what make co-operation between cities and regions distinctive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The discussion in Berlin also highlighted the importance of creating the right enabling environment. National governments have an important role to play in providing clear policy and legal frameworks, stable funding arrangements and better reporting systems, while preserving the ability of cities and regions to define their own priorities and partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At the same time, LRGs engaging in DDC need to demonstrate more clearly the value and impact of international co-operation, including its benefits at home, from institutional learning and innovation to stronger relationships, peace and democratic resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In a context of increasing pressure on development co-operation budgets, DDC can complement national and multilateral efforts by bringing the expertise, proximity and practical experience of cities and regions into international development partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n