As in the case of other small developing countries. Local government in Samoa is currently receiving considerable attention from the central government and donors as a potential institution and partner for development. Several initiatives have been undertaken in recent years to slowly build and strengthen the capacity of local government in the country, including a capacity building program funded through the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) that is currently underway. Central to this program is the effort to introduce good governance principles of accountability and transparency to ensure proper decision-making at the local level when resources are provided by central government.