Sister Cities Network for Sustainable Development

Good Governance

* Sister Cities International thanks Standard & Poor's for sponsoring this page of our Web site.*

The Role of Good Governance in Sustainable Development

Good governance is the cornerstone of sustainable community development. It involves the culture and principles of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented. Good governance has eight major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society (UN ESCAP).

The interaction between local concerns and national, regional and global issues presents a unique challenge to many communities around the world. Deciding how to address issues related to housing, environmental concerns, energy needs, jobs, economic development and other matters requires a governance system capable of framing an issue, presenting appropriate policy alternatives, seeking feedback on which policies to adopt, implementing the agreed upon policy, and ensuring adequate monitoring and assessment. With communities more closely linked together through the process of globalization, good governance becomes even more important as local communities try to meet their own needs while integrating themselves into the global arena.

Specific issues members of the Sister Cities Network for Sustainable Development may focus on include:

Transparency and Openness

Sustainable development depends largely on whether there are sound governing practices in the management and development of a community's resources, capital (both human and social), and governance structures. Transparency is important for successful management systems and requires that citizens are involved in all aspects of community development and evaluation.

Sound government begins with transparency and accountability, including

Supporting Resources

For more information on the role of transparency and good governance in facilitating sustainable development, please review the following resources.

Fortune City: Resources on the Principles of Sustainable Development: Provides a list of web links to resources on sustainable development, including news articles, reports, and other documents on a variety of topics. See the Establishing Transparent Governance section.

Standard & Poor's: Standard & Poor's is the pre-eminent global provider of independent highly valued investment data, valuation, analysis and opinions offering products and services that contribute to transparent, efficient markets and that give the financial community the independent benchmarks they need to make informed financial decisions.

Sustainable Development Gateway: Managing Sustainability - Governance: Information and links to organizations working on issues of governance and sustainable development.

The World Bank Institute: Governance and Anti-Corruption: Information and resources on the World Bank Institute's Governance program.

The World Bank: Governance & Public Sector Reform: Information and resources on the World Bank's Governance & Public Sector Reform program.

Transparency International: Knowledge Centre: Issues papers on a range of transparency and accountability issues.

U.S. Agency for Development (USAID): Anti-corruption programs: Information about USAID's anticorruption programs and links to other government and partnership programs.

U.S. Department of State: International Issues - Corruption: Information on the U.S. Department of State's international anti-corruption efforts.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Governance for Sustainable Development: UNDP's official policy on Governance for sustainable human development.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Governance: UNDP's Democratic Governance site provides a wealth of information on a variety of topics related to governance at the international, regional, national, and local levels.

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT): Global Campaign on Urban Governance: Launched in 1999, the Global Campaign on Urban Governance supports the implementation of the Habitat Agenda goal of "sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world." The campaign's goal is to contribute to the eradication of poverty through improved urban governance.

United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP): Global Programme against Corruption: Information on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Programme against Corruption.

United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD): Urban Governance Project: Information about UNRISD's research program on Democracy, Governance and Human Rights.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development: Sector projects - Financial Sector: Information on the WBCSD's Financial Sector working group, news, reports and case studies on the role of financial institutions in promoting sustainable development.

"Promoting local action for global issues"