LogoLink

LogoLink is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. It has been an exciting journey for a global learning network like LogoLink to remain vibrant and relevant nationally, regionally and globally. This year, all LogoLink partners got together at the 2011 LogoLink Partners' Meeting, hosted by Polis Institute and PRIA, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on June 6-9 2011.

While in Nepal, LogoLink debated the emerging trends that have direct or indirect implications on its future, which include: the global financial crisis; the unsustainable pathways to economic growth; the declining legitimacy of global governance institutions; the rapid urbanization and the urbanization of poverty; demands from new social movements; and the emergence of global networks.

Also, LogoLink partners discussed Civil Society's present and future and concluded that it is at a crossroad, facing new challenges that require new answers. Once it recognized such processes, LogoLink partners agreed on embracing new challenges at the forefront of the fight for democratic and accountable local governments around the world.

Within this context, partners deliberated on the LogoLink purposes, role, and strategies and, identified the importance of engaging in the debate about the different meanings of citizen participation. Also, LogoLink partners perceived a new global dynamic of social movements, which results in the setting of a common agenda to defend human rights, in which local democratic governance plays an important role.

Therefore, during the 2011 LogoLink Partners' Meeting, the network decided to develop a global campaign on ‘The Right to Participation in Local Governance'. LogoLink acknowledges the existence of a globalized agenda, which translates into a myriad of successful experiences such as global campaigns on the Right to the City, environment and sustainability, transparency and accountability, as well as examples of networks as the International Budget Partnership working to improve government budget practices and systems. Such noteworthy initiatives inspired us to launch a global campaign on the right to participation.

Finally, LogoLink understands that campaigning for the right to participation implies taking part in a dispute that involves different political projects and actors. Thus, the LogoLink's global campaign on ‘The Right to Participation in Local Governance' intends to contribute to the debate on the different meanings of participation; fight the impoverishment of the discourse of citizen participation and social control; and contribute to the worldwide recognition of the right to participation as fundamental human right.