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On 31st October, which will see the celebration of the first #WorldCitiesDay and the end of Urban October, UCLG calls upon its members and partners to mobilize and raise awareness about the transformative potential of urbanization. Local and regional governments underline that rural‑urban linkages, the engagement of cities and partnerships with citizens will be key for the success of a universal agenda. ​

According to the United Nations World Health Organization, over half of the world’s population now lives in cities and this figure will continue to grow, especially in less developed regions. Therefore, delivering safe water and sanitation in cities will be key to securing sustainability for human, economic and environmental prosperity in the future.

On 17 October 2014, the world will come together to join the fight to end poverty – to “Leave no one behind: to think, decide, and act together against extreme poverty”. Local and Regional Governments will also add their voices to the campaign on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The first Mayoral Forum on Migration, Mobility and Development, held in Barcelona on 19-20 June, agreed that migration is a rising phenomenon, in particular urban and cross-border migration. The meetings gave rise to the 'Barcelona Declaration',

On 8 August 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the members of a High-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport, which will provide recommendations on sustainable transport systems at global, national, local and sector levels.

The Policy Forum on Development (PFD) is a space for multi-stakeholder dialogue on EU and global development policies. It brings together senior officials from the European Commission, representatives of the European Parliament, European Members States and local and regional authorities.

The meeting aimed to share and exchange good practices on decentralization and Local Economic Development (LED) as well as to identify common regional priorities in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region.

The UCLG Co-President and Mayor of Guangzhou, Chen Jianhua, will host the Guangzhou Award Ceremony on the occasion of the Guangzhou International Urban Innovation Conference, organized in conjunction with the 2014 China International Friendship Cities Conference, and in the framework of the UCLG World Council meetings.

CEMR president, Annemarie Jorritsma, has told Agence Europe of her principal concerns on the cohesion policy, as reported to Commisssioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn and Commission President José Durão Barroso during their meeting.

Local economic development (LED) focuses on enhancing community well-being through improved productivity and competitiveness, and the promotion of inclusive economic growth. Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of ASEAN economies

The Localization of the Post-2015 Agenda global consultation process culminated on the 14th and 15th October with a High Level Global dialogue in Turin attended by eighty representatives of national, regional and local governments, UN agencies, international institutions, civil society organizations (including women, youth, and slum dwellers).

This high-level meeting to be held in Turin on 14-15th of October 2014, marks the culmination of the consultation on ‘Localizing the post-2015 Development Agenda’, led by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), on behalf of UNDG, together with the Global Taskforce.

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (Global Partnership) announces a call for Multi-stakeholder Partnerships Case Studies. Looking at work being done on the ground, submissions should explain how real projects and/or programs used development co-operation, as defined by the Busan principles.

The Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is pleased to invite you to the International Meeting on the Right to the City, which will take place from 12th to 14th November 2014 in São Paulo, Brazil.

In the process of updating Agenda 21 for culture, in March 2014 the Committee on Culture of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) launched an online consultation questionnaire. In almost five months, until 31 July 2014, the questionnaire received 255 responses, of which 142 can be considered complete.

Can an award system for distinctive city innovations go beyond capturing headlines for winners? Can it develop into an ongoing system of learning for cities around the world, inspiring new ways for them to deal with tough social, economic and environmental challenges?

In the following post, Pablo Chillón shares the results of his recent investigations into the attributes and characteristics of the lobby strategies developed by cities and the goals of city advocacy, as well as the extent of and insights into the global performance of true urban diplomacy by cities.

For the first time ever, the United Nations has declared 31 October ''World Cities Day'', recognising and highlighting the critical role that cities and smart urban planning have to play in sustainable development. To coincide with World Cities Day, UN Habitat and the Guardian also put out a call for the best existing urban ideas.