The International Guidelines on Decentralization and Access to Basic Services for all were approved by the UN-Habitat Governing Council in 2007 and 2009 respectively. They outline the main principles underlying the democratic, constitutional/legal and administrative aspects of local governance and decentralization. They provide some inspiring ideas about a fairest distribution of responsibilities and resources while respecting the different traditions on the structure of the state and its public administration. They do not provide a uniform and rigid blueprint applicable to all member states of the United but their main objective is to support and guide legislative reform to provide a more effective public sector able to provide the adequate services to their citizens.

You can download the guidelines in the 6 official UN languages here:

International Guidelines on Decentralization and Access to Basic Services

Directrices internacionales sobre descentralización y acceso universal a servicios básicos

للجميع الأساسية الخدمات على الحصول وسبل اللامركزية بشأن الدولية التوجيهية المبادئ

Lignes directrices internationales sur l’accès aux services de base pour tous

关于权力下放和为所有人 提供基本服务的国际准则

МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЕ РУКОВОДЯЩИЕ ПРИНЦИПЫ ДЕЦЕНТРАЛИЗАЦИИ И ДОСТУПА К БАЗОВЫМ УСЛУГАМ ДЛЯ ВСЕХ