Members of the United Nations Country Team work to help empower local and regional governments to undertake their responsibilities.

They support:

• reinforcement of democratization processes at local level;
• development of financial and institutional frameworks to deliver improved decentralized services; and
• promotion of inter-ethnic dialogue and social cohesion. In turn, such approaches are intended to lead to inclusive, more equitable territorial distribution of development gains; strengthened inter-ethnic dialogue; development of human capital; improved rural development; and enhanced social protection. Under the principles of the United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption, all activities contribute to participation, transparency and accountability as key values of good governance.

To help overcome fiscal imbalances between rural and urban and between small and large municipalities, the United Nations Country Team is strengthening capacities of national and municipal institutions for more transparent, predictable and sustainable local financing. Innovative arrangements for efficient, quality service provision, including information technologies, are being designed and implemented through public-private partnerships, outsourcing and cooperation between municipalities.

In addressing disparities between and within regions, the United Nations Country Team supports a range of services that strengthen policymaking and monitoring and evaluation capacities for regional development policies, and that enhance regional authorities’ capacities to implement national legislation. Comprehensive support seeks to help ensure space for inclusion of all voices, including those of the most vulnerable. Programmes are designed to enable efficient use of EU regional policy mechanisms.

Lastly, the United Nations Country Team is helping establish a functional system for inter-community dialogue by strengthening capacities at local and national levels and promoting a multi-cultural civic identity. Joint programmes are enhancing the capacities of central and local bodies in inclusive problem-solving processes and consensus-building around community priorities. The United Nations Country Team supports the longer-term role of education, and works with local leaders, civil society and the media to facilitate constructive civic dialogue that promotes peaceful coexistence.