The launch of the United Nations 2030 Agenda fits well with the theme of the 54th session of the Commission for Social Development: Rethinking and Strengthening Social Development. It is an optimal time to reflect on lessons learned from efforts to reduce poverty, enhance equality, and strengthen social integration. People-centred approaches must be at the forefront if we are to leave no one behind. The NGO Committee on Social Development here presents results of its 2015 survey on community-based initiatives that have evolved from the bottom up—local, collaborative groups in which people have assessed their own needs and developed economic strategies to meet them. Respondents are from programs that are working at the local level on community-based initiatives. Insights from their experiences are useful in informing governments and civil society on effective practices in alternative, grassroots forms of development that arise organically from within the community. These lessons are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Download a summary of responses to a global survey conducted by the Grassroots Taskforce of the NGO Committee on Social Development.