THE “Partnership for Democratic Local Governance in Southeast-Asia (DELGOSEA)” was launched in March 2010 and has been originally co-funded by the European Commission and the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) of Germany. The project has established a Network of Local Government Associations (LGAs), local authorities, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and academic institutions in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, focusing on transnational exchange of sustainable good governance practices in four main areas: people’s participation in planning and decision-making; institutional governance; urban environment; and fiscal management and investment promotion strategies.

The first phase of DELGOSEA ran for 32 months and ended in October 2012. The second phase is now continued to further develop networking and the advocacy work for good local governance in the ASEAN member states and at the ASEAN level, and to discover new best/good practices. The idea of the advocacy and lobbying are based on the hampers facing during the first phase of DELGOSEA.

The continuity of new Best Practice collection on good local governance is still in the heart of DELGOSEA Phase 2. The following are 7 new best practices (BPs) that were successfully developed and ready to be replicated:

1. Waste Collection and Transportation Service of Padang City, Indonesia
2. Urban Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation towards a Sustainable City in Chiang Rai, Thailand
3. Traffic Congestion Reduction in Bekasi City, Indonesia
4. Public Participation in Tourism Planning and Development in Lang Son City, Vietnam
5. Rescuing in Three Minutes: The Rescue Services of Cebu City, Philippines
6. Improving Education in Batu City, Indonesia
7. Treating Citizens as Customers in Nueva Vizcaya Province, Philippines

Apart from the development of new BPs, in the ‘second phase’ the network has been focusing on two major goals, which are: to expand the network to all 10 ASEAN countries by the end of 2014 (four countries that are not yet represented: Brunei Darussalam; Malaysia; Myanmar; and Singapore) as well as build cooperation with ASEAN to develop local government’s capacity in preparing for the upcoming ASEAN Community 2015.

UCLG ASPAC plays a great role in supporting DELGOSEA Phase 2. During the UCLG ASPAC Congress took place in Jakarta from 2^nd – 5^th October 2012, the Executive Bureau of UCLG ASPAC recommended the establishment of DELGOSEA Standing Committee. The recommendation then endorsed by the Executive Bureau members during the Executive Bureau Meeting at the same Congress. The endorsement was based on the view that DELGOSEA Standing Committee matched precisely with the UCLG ASPAC priorities hence the existing means under UCLG ASPAC umbrella can be used for cooperative interactions.

Find more information at DELGOSEA’s official website.