France/NOTE TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS - OECD Report on the Impact of Decentralized Cooperation

At a time when official development assistance is experiencing an unprecedented decline, decentralized cooperation is a key lever for achieving concrete results on the ground. The new OECD report, titled *The Impact of Decentralized Development Cooperation: Driving Local Governance and the SDGs*, analyzes the contribution of local and regional governments to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Drawing on new data and examples from several countries, the report demonstrates that cooperation led by local and regional governments makes it possible, in particular, to:

• Improving the quality and accessibility of public services;
• Strengthen local governance and citizen participation;
• Support strategic planning and accountability;
• Promote mutual learning among partner regions;
• Contribute to concrete results in sustainable development, particularly in the areas of sustainable cities and climate action.

Some key figures

• Official development assistance allocated to decentralized cooperation has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching $3.6 billion in 2024;
• Cross-border decentralized cooperation amounted to $665 million in 2024 and involved territories in more than 150 countries;
• Quantitative analyses highlight positive correlations between official development assistance invested by local governments and several SDG-related indicators, including income growth, an increase in green spaces, and a reduction in transportation-related CO₂ emissions in urban areas.

A useful report for French local governments

This report underscores the added value that local governments bring to the implementation of international agendas and reiterates the importance of cooperation based on partnerships, peer-to-peer dialogue, and the mobilization of local expertise. It also highlights the growing role of non-financial forms of cooperation, which can be a major source of value for partner local governments in both donor and recipient countries.

For French local governments engaged in international work, this report thus provides analytical insights and concrete examples to highlight the impact of their partnerships, strengthen their alignment with the SDGs, and inform their external action strategies.

The key points of this document are available on the OECD website.

Contact :

Secretariat

Delegation for Local Authorities and Civil Society (DCTCIV)

57 Boulevard des Invalides, 75007 PARIS

01 43 17 62 64 │ secretariat.dgm-dctciv@diplomatie.gouv.fr

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