Union of the Baltic Cities

The Union of the Baltic Cities has been involved in a co-operation project with Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Co-operation (LVRLAC) since the year 2000. LVRLAC is an organisation that brings together local authorities of the Lake Victoria region/East Africa across national boundaries with an objective to promote sustainable development in the area. Members are cities and municipalities in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. UBC's co-operation with LVRLAC strives for improving the capacities of LVRLAC as a network organisation and provides UBC with an opportunity to contribute to sustainable development on the global level. Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Co-operation (LVRLAC) was established in 1997 on the initiative of the mayors of Entebbe (Uganda), Mwanza (Tanzania) and Kisumu (Kenya). The co-operation was motivated by similar challenges facing all the states of the Lake Victoria Region as well as local authorities around the lake. The number of members in LVRLAC has later increased to comprise 60 local authorities in the above mentioned states. Talks have also been conducted with Burundi and Rwanda for possible future membership so that the organisation would cover all states of the Lake Victoria Basin. LVRLAC and UBC established a co-operation project in the year 2000. This co-operation project is part of the comprehensive initiative of EAC and SIDA and is also funded by SIDA. The purpose of the project is to transfer knowledge through co-operation between UBC and LVRLAC. In the long run the goal is to improve the administrative and institutional capacities of the local authorities in the Lake Victoria Region, in order to promote sustainable development and improve the standard of living of the inhabitants. In order to create a long-term effect, the project takes into close consideration local needs and conditions and applies a step-by-step approach. For UBC this co-operation provides an opportunity to contribute to sustainable development on global level, which is one of the goals set in the UBC Agenda 21 Action programme 2004-2009. An additional benefit from the co-operation programme is the fact that it provides opportunities for experts and decision-makers of UBC member cities to contribute to the field of international development co-operation. The LVRLAC-UBC co-operation concentrates mostly on developing the organisation of LVRLAC and its activities. The main objective is to build up LVRLAC's capacity to function as a network organisation for the benefit of its members. Within UBC the Commission on Environment Secretariat has had the overall management responsibility over LVRLAC co-operation since 2004. On LVRLAC's side the highest decision-making body is the Annual General Assembly comprising of representatives from all member councils. A project steering group comprising of members from both networks takes care of joint decision-making of the co-operation project.