On the initiative of the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, the Global Network on Local Governance (GNLG) was formed at the Second Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2000. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) serves as the secretariat of the World Movement which is composed of democrats, including activists, practitioners, academics, policy-makers, and funders, who have come together to cooperate in the promotion of democracy. Participants of the Sao Paulo meeting discussed ways to increase the accessibility of local government representatives to the network of regional and global institutions working in the field of local democracy and to improve the efficiency of local government institutions. The consensus emerged that established democracies should share their experiences in the area of local governance.
During the Third Assembly of the World Movement, which took place in Durban, South Africa, in February 2004, participants further discussed the formal institutionalization of this Network during workshops on "Strengthening Democracy through Decentralisation and Local Empowerment" and "Building a Global Network on Local Governance"
GNLG brings together existing networks and institutions working on local governance issues to promote and strengthen local government institutions. It provides a global forum for elected local government representatives, officials and others working to strengthen local democracy, democratic decentralization and citizens' empowerment. GNLG serves as a bridge of communication between local governments and civil society. It seeks to give greater political voice to disadvantaged groups and to promote accountable, participatory, transparent and efficient local governments.
The GNLG's secretariat is located at the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi. The Secretariat coordinates the various activities of the Network. Durban-based Democracy Development Programme (DDP) is an auxiliary of the GNLG. This Network is a clearing house to disseminate ideas and experiences of various countries. GNLG also hosts a website (http//www.gnlg.org) with facilities for an online discussion. It will publish a quarterly information newsletter which will monitor major developments with regard to local governments in various parts of the world.
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