The relationships mutually formed by local authorities in order to deal with and enrich their local public policies are a fundamental lever in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In France, there has been gradual legislative recognition of the external action of local authorities (EALAs), leading up to the 2014 Orientation and Programming Law on Development and International Solidarity Policy (LOP-DSI).
At the global level, the new international agenda for development aid seeks to intensify this support to EALAs. The adoption of the SDGs in 2015 and its associated notion of universality (as the objectives are shared by all countries) help promote strengthened support for partnerships created between French local authorities and their partners around the world.
When there is coordinated action between AFD and a French local authority involved in an actions abroad, it helps to better meet the needs of the foreign local authorities, which are eager to exchange expertise and experiences on good practices. That’s why AFD provides for three major forms of working abroad with French local authorities.