SALAR International

What SALAR International does

SALAR International is the international development arm of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR/SKR), a non-profit organization headquartered in Stockholm. It provides technical assistance, consulting, and capacity-building services to local governments, municipal associations, and national ministries in partner countries, with the core methodology being peer-to-peer cooperation between Swedish municipalities and local governments abroad. The organization's thematic portfolio spans decentralisation reform, EU accession preparation, democratic governance, gender mainstreaming, fiscal decentralisation, disaster risk reduction, and environmental sustainability — with waste management as a notable recent focus. The service portfolio includes consulting engagements, training programmes (e.g., Sustainable Urban Development, Accountable and Inclusive Local Governance), EU Impact Assessments, and large multi-country programmes such as Polaris (Ukraine), WM4U (Waste Management for Ukraine), and country-specific projects across Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, South Caucasus, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The core asset is institutional knowledge and methodology rather than software. SALAR International operates in 8+ countries (Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, DRC, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, and recently Iraq) with country-level project managers, technical team leaders, and senior national experts supported by Stockholm headquarters staff of approximately 11-50 employees. Notable technical components include the SymbioCity sustainable urban development approach and standardized EU Impact Assessment frameworks now deployed across four countries.

Revenue is generated exclusively through grant funding from government development cooperation agencies, primarily the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Projects are typically awarded via competitive procurement and run on multi-year cycles (commonly 3-5 years). The organization does not operate on a commercial basis: it has no disclosed pricing model, no publicly stated revenue, no APIs or software products, and does not sell services to municipalities at market rates.

Name

SALAR International

Legal name

SALAR International

Website

https://salarinternational.se

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SALAR International is a Stockholm-based non-profit that provides consulting and capacity-building services to local governments, municipal associations, and ministries in 8+ partner countries, funded primarily by Sida and SDC grants. Its core methodology is Swedish peer-to-peer municipal cooperation focused on decentralisation, EU accession, and governance reform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Consulting

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Governance, Public Financial Management & Service Delivery Reform (BPADAEAD), Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC), Development Cooperation & Foreign Aid Administration (BPAIAIAG), Donor Coordination & Aid Effectiveness (BPADAOAA)

Keywords

• Local governance consulting
• Decentralization reform
• Capacity building
• EU accession support
• Municipal development

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Development Cooperation Projects: SALAR International implements projects funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Projects focus on local governance strengthening, decentralisation reform, EU accession preparation, and sustainable development in partner countries. Revenue comes from project fees and implementation costs covered by donor funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SALAR International delivers international development consulting, technical assistance, and capacity-building programmes to strengthen local and regional governance in partner countries. It applies Swedish municipal expertise and a peer-to-peer cooperation model to support decentralization, EU accession alignment, sustainable urban development, and accountable local governance. Services are commissioned primarily through bilateral donor agencies and implemented in partnership with national ministries and local government associations.

Product overview

SALAR International offers a portfolio of consulting, advisory, and capacity-building services for local and regional governments globally. The core offering consists of local governance consulting services, EU impact assessments, and training programmes. Thematically, services span democracy and accountability, rights participation and equality, resilience and sustainability, and global response to local challenges. Geographic programmes include the Polaris Programme (Ukraine), WM4U Waste Management for Ukraine, and projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, and DRC. The organization functions as a technical assistance provider rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Polaris Programme — Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine A multi-year governance programme delivering technical assistance to strengthen multi-level governance in Ukraine.
• WM4U — Waste Management for Ukraine A SALAR International programme providing technical assistance and capacity-building for waste management reform in Ukraine.
• Support to Local Public Administration Reform in Moldova A SALAR International country programme supporting local public administration reform and EU accession-related reforms in Moldova.
• Armenia Country Programme — Local Government Development Country-level technical assistance programme supporting local government development in Armenia.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Country Programme — Local Self-Government Support Country-level technical assistance programme supporting local self-government and capacity building in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• North Macedonia Country Programme — Local Government Development Country-level technical assistance programme supporting local government development in North Macedonia.
• Serbia Country Programme — Local Government Development Country-level technical assistance programme supporting local government development in Serbia.
• Georgia Country Programme — Local Self-Government Support Country-level technical assistance programme supporting local self-government reform in Georgia.
• DRC Country Programme — Local Governance Support Country-level technical assistance programme supporting local governance and decentralization in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• EU Impact Assessment Training (Webinar Series) A training offering by SALAR International providing participants with the knowledge and tools to design and conduct EU Impact Assessments in line with EU accession requirements.
• Accountable and Inclusive Local Governance (Training Programme) A training programme offered by SALAR International focused on accountable and inclusive local governance practices for local government practitioners.
• Sustainable Urban Development (Training Programme) A training programme offered by SALAR International covering sustainable urban development, delivered through the SymbioCity framework.
• LOGDEVI — Local Governance Development in Iraq A SALAR International programme supporting local governance development in Iraq, delivered in partnership with national counterparts.

Quantifiable outcome

• AMCs in BiH successfully advocated for legal changes to the regulatory framework favourable to local governments.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Avfall Sverige (Swedish Association of Waste Management and Recycling)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Strategic partnership for the WM4U (Waste Management for Ukraine) programme. Avfall Sverige contributes Swedish expertise in efficient, innovative, and sustainable waste management, while SALAR provides local governance expertise. Together they implement a programme helping transform municipal waste management in Ukraine and align with EU standards.
• Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSALAR International is a part of SALAR (Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions). SALAR represents all Swedish municipalities and regions and provides the institutional foundation and expertise for international cooperation programmes.
• NEFCO (Nordic Environment Finance Corporation)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNEFCO implements the WM4U programme alongside Avfall Sverige and SALAR International, serving as a financing institution for environmental investments in Eastern Europe.
• Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry responsible for waste management policy in Ukraine, serving as a key national partner for the WM4U programme implementation.
• Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry overseeing environmental protection in Ukraine, partnering on waste management reform and EU alignment efforts.
• Association of Municipalities and Cities of Republika Srpska (AMC RS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Advancing Functional Decentralisation project. AMC RS represents municipalities in Republika Srpska entity and works to strengthen local government voice and service delivery.
• Association of Municipalities and Cities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AMC FBiH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Advancing Functional Decentralisation project. AMC FBiH represents municipalities in the Federation of BiH entity.
• Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCTM is the national association representing all local authorities in Serbia. Long-standing partnership with SALAR to help Serbian municipalities prepare for EU accession through Municipal Support Packages.
• Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning (North Macedonia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational government partner for sustainable municipal waste management project in North Macedonia, working on aligning waste management with EU standards.
• Ministry of Local Self-Government (North Macedonia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner ministry for municipal waste management and decentralisation reform coordination in North Macedonia.
• Association of Units of Local Self-Government (ZELS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association of local self-government units in North Macedonia, serving as partner for waste management project implementation and policy mainstreaming.
• Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure (Armenia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for the DeaLoG project supporting decentralisation and local self-government reforms in Armenia.
• Ministry of Finance (Armenia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner ministry for fiscal decentralisation component of DeaLoG project in Armenia.
• Civil Society Organizations in DRCmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCongolese civil society and expert organisations play a key role in implementing the AGIR project, leveraging local knowledge and experience for effective governance improvement.
• European Committee of the RegionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting partner for the EU accession seminar organized by SALAR International and SALAR, bringing together EU enlargement stakeholders.
• Council of European Municipalities and RegionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean association of local governments participating in EU accession seminar as a panel contributor on local government capacity building.
• Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing governance expertise for rights, participation and equality programmes supporting inclusive and peaceful societies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme): UN agency implementing local governance, decentralization, and recovery programmes globally, including in Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and DRC, often overlapping with SALAR International's thematic focus on local democratic governance.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): Germany's federal development agency implementing large-scale governance, decentralization, and municipal development programmes across the same partner countries, often competing with SALAR International for Sida- and SDC-funded mandates.
• SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation): Dutch development organization working on local governance, water, and waste management in many similar geographies, including active work on municipal waste and EU alignment programmes in Eastern Europe.
• Council of Europe - Local and Regional Authorities: Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, a pan-European body setting standards and providing capacity building for local democracy, overlapping thematically with SALAR International's EU accession and governance work.

Emerging players

• Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation: Swiss development organization funded partly by SDC, implementing governance, decentralization, and local development programmes in many of the same partner countries as SALAR International, with comparable thematic overlap.

Direct peers

• UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments): Global umbrella organization representing local and regional governments, with whom SALAR International partners (via Council of European Municipalities and Regions), and which shapes the local government association ecosystem in SALAR's partner countries.
• FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) International: International programme of Canada's national municipal association, applying peer-to-peer municipal cooperation methodology in governance programming overseas, with a very comparable model to SALAR International's twinning approach.
• VNG International: International development arm of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), providing peer-to-peer municipal cooperation, local governance capacity building, and decentralization advisory globally, the closest structural analogue to SALAR International.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salarinternational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SALAR International