Inclusive multi-level governance: the case for the meaningful involvement of local and regional governments and public service trade unions in the multilateral system of the future
By Edgardo Bilsky and Daria Cibrario
Every day, local and regional governments (LRGs) and their staff are on the frontline of the world’s intersecting global crises. However, their roles are not yet adequately acknowledged, and their expertise leveraged in the global multilateral system as it currently stands. This article reviews the contribution of LRGs and their workers and trade unions to the global debate on the reform of multilateralism and identifies paths towards their meaningful inclusion through the future reform of the UN system. It advocates for a structural shift in the multilateral system enabling a genuine, two-way local-regional-national-level dialogue, strong LRG, worker and community participation in international policymaking, and inclusive global cooperation capable of integrating local solutions and policy innovation from the bottom-up to accelerate the concrete implementation of global public policy agendas.