The work of the Democratic Governance Division supports the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by promoting effective, accountable, inclusive and responsive institutions at all levels of government.

Through the work of the intergovernmental European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) on the one hand, and the assistance and cooperation activities implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance on the other, the Division helps to set standards and strengthen the institutional capacity of local, regional and central authorities in line with the SDGs.

In particular, the Division’s activities support SDG 11, SDG 16 and SDG 17.

SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance has developed toolkits that promote inclusiveness in municipal and local governments, including a specific toolkit on civil participation. One of the 12 Principles of Good Governance endorsed by Council of Europe member States is “Human rights, cultural diversity and social cohesion”, which encourages local authorities to treat diversity as an asset, avoid discrimination and ensure that nobody is excluded.

Specifically, the Democratic Governance Division contributes to progress towards:

Target 11.B: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

The overall aim of the CDDG is to contribute to strengthening democratic institutions, public administration reform and good governance, with particular emphasis on enhancing citizens’ participation and promoting public ethics.

In the implementation of its cooperation activities, the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance is guided by the 12 Principles for Good Governance, many of which align with the targets under SDG16, including openness and transparency, ethical conduct, responsiveness and sustainability. Specific toolkits, such as those on public ethics benchmarking, leadership development and citizen participation, help Council of Europe member States develop effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Current projects in Armenia, Lithuania, Serbia and Slovakia include specific objectives to foster inclusive citizen participation; build the leadership capacity of municipal officials; and promote accountable, transparent local government institutions.

Specifically, the Democratic Governance Division contributes to progress towards:

Target 16.5: Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

Target 16.B: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance partners with Council of Europe member States, as well as other European states, to implement capacity-building activities in support of SDGs 11 and 16.

Specifically, the Democratic Governance Division contributes to progress towards:

Target 17.9: Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation