UCLG ASPAC, in collaboration with the other regional sections, such as Middle East (MEWA), Africa, and Latin America (FLACMA), is working to support UCLG on the assessment of the state of play of the Local Authorities in Asia-Pacific countries. Funded by the European Commission, the study is part of the global program conducted by the European Voice of Local and Regional Authorities for Development (PLATFORMA) and three global networks UCLG, the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and Association Internationale des Mairies Francophones (AIMF), to build a “dialogue” between local governments from Europe and partner countries. The main objective of the research is to develop an initial evaluation of performance capacity from the collection of data both at the national and regional level of local authorities associations.
Four research questions are highlighted in the study, which are level of representation, influence capacity to advocate policies, communication ability, and institutional recognition, as well as internal management situation. The questions are expected to deliver performance overview and the key areas of improvement. The data is collected based on the ONLINE SURVEY, using the self-assessment tools to encourage the associations to analyze their current level as well as the obstacles and strategies to overcome them.
Each association is responsible, not only to complete the ONLINE SURVEY and provide key information, but also to validate the data and analyze them. A national report as the summary of the analysis will be drawn to be further assessed by the Asia-Pacific regional experts, to develop conclusions on Asia-Pacific. In addition, a profile from each Local Government Association (LGAs) will also be produced subsequently to the information from the questionnaire. This profile can be further developed to update the current database of UCLG ASPAC members, in particular in relation to the LGAs.
Ten countries are participating in the survey including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Almost all LGAs members of UCLG ASPAC involved in the project, are expected to deliver accurate responses and provide other supporting information if needed for the study.
