For the SDC, local economic development is not just an economic matter but a cooperative approach which provides an excellent tool for bringing together different interest groups to agree on local cooperation that can help create jobs and income, in addition to improving governance.

SDC focus

Moreover, local economic development can also strengthen governance at national level. In countries like Kosovo or Burkina Faso, the SDC conducts local economic development activities which have been implemented simultaneously in several towns. This has enabled municipalities (or rather territories, because each town has close links with its peri-urban and rural hinterland) to exchange information and experience that are specific to them. This has led to better cooperation among local authorities and thus added weight to the local dimension in dialogue with central government.

Background

Local economic development brings together various stakeholders from civil society, as well as the public and private sectors. Its goal is to promote cooperation so as to develop a given area. Cooperation is a key factor in governance. Local economic development (LED) triggers a political process in which the protagonists have to negotiate the priorities bearing in mind the limited human and financial resources at their disposal.

Forces that drive the economy

Economic considerations drive the private sector. Cooperation on creating public goods, such as improved framework conditions for investment, calls for a private-public collaboration that is built into concrete projects ("We'll build the road, and you'll build the factory. You tell us what's not right about the investment climate, and we'll put it right."). In this way, combined LED efforts create new business prospects. The public sector needs the private sector for local economic development.

In virtually every country, it is the private sector that creates most jobs and generates income, and jobs and income are a priority for the public sector's customers and voters. Poverty reduction and – perhaps more important for a civil servant – re-election of the mayor and his staff depend on the generation of income.

Governance as a process

Civil society, like local associations, should also be part of planning and implementing development projects in which the economic dimension is obviously not the only issue at stake. The State and local government do not cover all the ground. So the three stakeholder groups – the public and private sectors and civil society – negotiate and cooperate on the basis of concrete information derived from evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the local economy, as well as the opportunities and risks involved. This dynamic exchange between partners improves governance at local level.

Current projects

Object 877 – 888 of 971

Global Trade Facilitation Program

17.12.2018 - 16.12.2022

Trade is a key stimulus to economic growth and fundamental to the competitiveness of developing country firms and industries. With appropriate policies and programs, trade is a major source of employment and enhanced consumer welfare for the poor.


IFC Sustainable Cities Platform

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2023

The availability and quality of urban infrastructure and related services constitute an essential basis for enhancing competitiveness, reducing poverty and environmental and climate change impacts.


Env. Remediation Fund Central Asia

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Central Asian states have inherited a legacy of highly toxic and radioactive waste originating from uranium mining and milling activities. The Environmental Remediation Account (ERA), specially set up for financing remediation works and managed by EBRD, will finance projects at seven top priority sites.


Agri-Processing Resource Efficiency

15.11.2018 - 31.12.2022

The Agri-Processing Resource Efficiency (APRE) project implemented by IFC in South Africa aims at improving water use efficiency and productivity as well as energy use among companies in the agri-processing industry, in order to reduce operational costs and mitigate climate change risks.


Faizobod Water and Wastewater Project

01.11.2018 - 31.12.2021

Access to safe drinking water and sanitation services for the population of Faizobod is limited and of poor service quality due to deteriorated Soviet era infrastructure. The Project will increase access to safely managed, efficient and better-quality water supply and wastewater services and improve operational performance of the water utility.


UNDP National Commodities Program - Phase II

01.09.2018 - 31.08.2021

Agro-commodity production is an essential economic development driver for our partner countries and exports are top foreign income earners. However, commodity production is also driving some of the most important development problems today, such as causing deforestation or sustaining smallholder production model and inferior production practices that traps producers in poverty. Acknowledging this dilemma, the global demand for sustainably produced commodities is growing.


Supply Chain Finance Vietnam

01.06.2018 - 31.05.2023

The Supply Chain Finance (SCF) program in Vietnam facilitates SME's access to finance, allowing them to growth production and increase productivity. This is key as about half of the SMEs in Vietnam are un- or underserved by formal financial institutions.


Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, 2018-2022

01.05.2018 - 30.06.2022

The Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility is a World-Bank managed, multi-donor technical assistance facility aimed at creating an enabling environment for private sector investment in infrastructure, with the ultimate aim of improving lives through a better access to quality infrastructure services.


UN Trade Cluster Myanmar

01.05.2018 - 30.04.2022

The UN Trade Cluster country project Myanmar will be implemented in Shan State (Inle Lake area) by UNCTAD, ILO, UNIDO and ITC. The project provides for two outcomes in the area of horticulture supply and sustainable tourism development, while preparing the necessary conditions for selected value chains linking both sectors (backward linkages).


IFC: Green Bond Technical Assistance Program

21.04.2018 - 31.12.2023

The Program supports the creation of new markets for climate finance in emerging markets. The program contributes to developing green bond policies, providing training programs for bankers, and facilitating the adoption of the Green Bond Principles and international best practices and market standards.


Hayenna: Integrated Urban Development Project in Egypt

18.04.2018 - 31.03.2024

The project shall enhance the organizational capacity of local government units to better manage their land and linked local revenues. Furthermore, the project activities shall also support ongoing efforts aimed at improving the related legal and institutional frameworks at the national level. The project is implemented by UN-Habitat.


Biotrade Facilitation Programme Phase IV

01.04.2018 - 31.03.2022

The aim of the continued support to the Global BioTrade Facilitation Program, which is part of UNCTAD's BioTrade Initiative, is to synchronise and leverage results from previous phases and thus contribute that the BioTrade approach can further unfold its potential for biodiversity conservation as well as poverty reduction at the same time.

Object 877 – 888 of 971