Collaborating across levels: multi-level governance for sustainable cities

Why multi-level governance matters

Multi-level governance is crucial for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and creating sustainable cities. This transition requires fundamental and complex changes in social policies, infrastructure, behaviour and economic practices. No single actor, whether local, national or international, possesses all the necessary resources, levers, or expertise to bring about this transformation alone. Multi-level governance enables different levels of government (local, regional, national and international) to collaborate and promote an integrated and coherent approach. While municipalities handle various aspects related to sustainable cities such as urban planning, transport, waste management, and food markets, for example, they require the support of higher-level authorities for regulations, financing, and technical assistance. Simultaneously, global challenges such as climate change, inequalities, and sustainable resource management are manifested at the local level. Multi-level governance therefore makes it possible to adapt global policies to local specificities while guaranteeing overall coherence. By incorporating a multi-actor approach, it also encourages the participation of non-governmental stakeholders, enriching the decision-making process and ensuring that the solutions address citizens' needs. This coordinated and inclusive approach is vital for a successful transition to sustainable cities and the equitable and effective achievement of SDGs.

Changing mindsets and ways of working across levels

Jean Bossuyt of the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) introduced multi-level governance (MLG) by highlighting its transformative nature: “Multi-level governance approaches imply major changes in mindsets, governance principles (e.g. subsidiarity), processes (e.g. decision-making), working methods (e.g. co-creation), and accountability mechanisms.” He described MLG as a shift away from traditional top-down governance, emphasising collaboration, co-creation, and shared accountability among local, regional, and national actors.

Addressing systemic challenges such as climate change and urban food insecurity require context-specific responses driven by local actors, but they need support from higher levels of government. Bossuyt noted significant barriers to effective implementation, including entrenched centralised governance, incomplete decentralisation reforms that limit municipalities’ ability to serve their constituents effectively, and competition for resources. Local governments often lack the autonomy, capacity, and resources to fully participate in governance processes.

To overcome these challenges, Bossuyt identified key enablers, including bottom-up advocacy by territorial actors to secure inclusion in governance dialogues (e.g. on fiscal decentralisation), decentralising decision-making and revenue-generation powers, addressing regulatory bottlenecks affecting city performance, and integrating local voices into national frameworks. He stressed the importance of adopting political economy approaches to navigate power dynamics and incentivise collaboration.

Finally, Bossuyt called for empowering local actors to think, engage, and act in MLG processes, leveraging opportunities such as the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He emphasized the need to strengthen national associations of local authorities and support the creation of locally owned territorial development strategies.

Lessons learned

Echoing many of Jean Bossuyt’s observations, Charlotte Flechet from Rikolto shared findings from an empirical study on multi-level governance in food systems, spanning seven countries and over 60 informants. Conducted in collaboration with the FAO, the study identified over 45 enablers and constraints, including unclear division of responsibilities between different levels, resource limitations – both in terms of funding and human capacities, and fragmented data systems that do not provide sufficient local-level information to guide meaningful decision-making.

The research recommended clearer role definitions between levels of governance, integration of food systems into decentralisation debates, and strengthening social capital through capacity building and stronger networks of local governments. She outlined guiding principles such as aligning vertical coordination (across government levels) with horizontal integration (across sectors and stakeholders) and ensuring governance processes are inclusive and context-specific, taking into account the unique characteristics of individual territories. Valuing diverse knowledge systems and fostering trust among stakeholders were also highlighted as important principles towards achieving sustainable food systems.

The second webinar brought together experts to discuss real-world applications of MLG:

Citizen participation in Morocco

Youssef Laraaj from Enabel shared insights from the Tadafor project, which aims to strengthen civic engagement in 60 Moroccan local councils. This initiative is designed to empower local governments to build trust with and collaborate with civil society organisations and citizens in co-creating policies. It does so by strengthening exchanges between the different actors, creating spaces for dialogue, encouraging the use of participatory budgeting where citizens can express concrete needs, and facilitating the development of “citizen participation charters”. The project also focuses on strengthening digital tools to increase its outreach towards citizens.

Water governance in Ecuador

Gerardo Oswaldo Patín Guaquipana from the municipality of Guaranda showcased the "Water Roundtable" initiative, a platform for multi-level collaboration to manage water resources sustainably. By integrating different levels of governments (municipal services, cantonal councils, parishes, ministries and a national technical secretary), community organisations, and academic institutions, this initiative aims to improve water quality, expand conservation areas, and tackle issues such as rural-urban disparities in access to clean water.

Digital Population Registry in Kinshasa

Noël Richelieu Luenda Mambuene presented a pilot project in Kinshasa's Kintambo commune aimed at digitising the population registry in collaboration with the Brussels region and Brulocalis. The project seeks to provide accurate demographic data for planning public services, such as infrastructure, health care, and social programmes, while also monitoring internal and international migratory movements, combating fraud and crime, and safeguarding individual rights. It involves close collaboration among national authorities—such as the Ministries of Interior, Justice, and Digital Affairs, which provide the overarching framework—provincial authorities tasked with developing a roadmap for population services in Kinshasa, municipal authorities responsible for supervising agents and implementing the pilot, and various technical and financial partners. So far, the project resulted in a digital administrative census, training sessions for coordinators and field workers, a public awareness campaign, and the creation of a digital population registry integrated with both provincial and municipal systems.

Mechanisms for effective multi-level governance

The webinars offered practical ideas for improving multi-level governance on a wide range of topics from food system transformation to sustainable water management and from citizen participation to better municipal services, showing that bringing local, regional, and national strategies into alignment can help everyone work together more effectively towards sustainable development. Encouraging dialogue and collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector is often the first step to identify opportunities for joint problem-solving and initiate a collaborative process to support the transition to sustainable cities. Giving local authorities more control over finances and decision-making can strengthen their ability to respond to community needs while well-organised information systems make it easier to base decisions on reliable data that reflects local realities.