The role of local government is essential in generating inclusive and sustainable development. As the layer of government closest to the people, local government is best placed to be highly responsive to and advocate for peoples’ needs. The Government of the Republic of Korea fully recognizes the critical importance of local governance and has established a new initiative to improve the system through which citizens can submit petitions requesting their local councils to enact, revise, or abolish bylaws, which thus empowers citizens to directly engage in autonomous legislative activities. This system is called the “System for Citizens to Request the Establishment, Revision, or Abolition of Municipal Ordinances.” For a petition to be accepted, a minimum number of signatures is required. In the past, the difficulty in satisfying this requirement constituted the main barrier for citizens to use the system, for petitions could only be signed in person, and people on the street generally only sign petitions when they have enough time to gain a good understanding of the content. That’s why only 223 petitions were submitted between 1999 and 2016. However, this new initiative aims to enable people to sign petitions both on the street and electronically. It allows people to find ordinances online and sign petitions using their digital signatures, which have a legal effect and allow citizens to participate easily in their communities’ decision-making processes. This initiative empowers citizens to participate in the decision-making process of local governments, improves access to justice, and facilitates building effective, accountable and inclusive public institutions at the local level (SDG #16). Effective citizen participation at the local level also fosters balanced regional development and reduces inequality nationwide (Goal #10).

LEE Wonyoung

Manager, SDGs Coordination Team/MOIS