The future of decentralization and multilevel governance in a rapidly changing context
New York City, February 26-27, 2026
Roundtable objectives
The collective vision of the roundtable organizers is a world where people are informed and empowered; governments are open and responsive; and the public good is enhanced through civic engagement and collective action. Achieving this vision requires countries to pursue inclusive, efficient, and responsive multilevel governance systems.
Implementing the necessary reforms to achieve inclusive and responsive multilevel governance systems requires building country-level consensus and political will that results in public sector reforms (including in governance, administrative, fiscal, and sectoral systems), informed by evidence and an in-depth understanding of decentralization and localization as complex, cross-cutting and multistakeholder reforms. Global advocates of inclusive governance and sustainable development have an important role to play in knowledge development; knowledge sharing; and convening, outreach, and field-building. The issue of how to strategically sequence and implement reforms also requires dedicated attention.
The focus of the roundtable is not to reflect on the importance of different thematic or technical issues—there are other venues to dive deeper into specific topics. Instead, the focus would be on identifying what we (think we) know, where we need to be more self-critical or work harder to better understand how multilevel governance can be leveraged in the real-world (or not) , what to prioritize, and how to overcome the increasingly restrictive operating environment being faced by global champions, development actors, and other stakeholders that recognize the importance of multilevel governance and the local public sector in achieving inclusive governance and sustainable development.
Hosting, funding, and participation
The roundtable will be co-hosted by the Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA), the Forum of Federations, and NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at New York University (NYU), together with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), UNDP, and the World Bank.
The roundtable convenes a broad and diverse group of approximately 60 leaders, practitioners, scholars, and policy experts engaged in multilevel governance and public sector reform across the globe. In principle, all co-conveners, partner organizations, and participants will bear the cost of their own attendance. Travel support for a limited number of unaffiliated participants has been provided by LPSA and other partners. Selected panels of the roundtable may be structured in a hybrid format.
Session / panel structure
Given the high level of expertise assembled for this roundtable, the roundtable sessions are structured to maximize participation and interaction, so we can all learn from the perspectives and insights of others within the community of practice. Roundtable panel sessions are expected to last 1h:30m each. Different roundtable sessions are coordinated and moderated by one or more partner organizations.
While session structure should be driven by the content to be discussed, generally, short presentations and panelist remarks by 3-4 panelists are expected to take up to 45 minutes, followed by inputs, contributions, and discussion in plenary.
While short PowerPoint presentations may be included in different sessions (as guided by the panel organizers), the roundtable intends to provide as a space for shared learning and collective reflection rather than an opportunity for formal academic-style presentations.
Given the incredible expertise and various perspectives in the room, it is critical that half of the time for each session is left for plenary discussions, so that the discussions can benefit from the collective insights of all participants.
To foster an environment of trust and open discussion, the Roundtable will be conducted under the Chatham House Rule. Participants may generally reference the ideas and perspectives shared, but they may not identify or quote any participant or their organization without explicit permission.
