Forum of Regions

Issue

Overview

Since its inception in 2004 UCLG has experienced significant developments, both in terms of a growth in membership and in its commitment to provide appropriate tools to the different types of members that our organization represents.

Since 2007, our member regions have advocated for a more central space within our agenda, as was the case with intermediary cities, whose work has been integrated into that of our organization, and small municipalities, at the request of member associations.

Consequently, UCLG created the Forum of the Regions during its Congress in Rabat (2013) as a Section for regional authorities, and the World Council decided to give the Forum a new political impetus during its meeting in Paris (2015). In this light, UCLG is preparing regional governments’ contributions to the international agenda, in particular through collaboration with its Sections and members, with a specific focus on Habitat III and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The implementation of Sustainable Development Goals highlights the need to create spaces for territorial cooperation as well as to adapt public policies to the real needs of the population by strengthening the role of local and regional governments.

The participation of subnational governments is key to building a comprehensive strategy for development that takes into account the overall impact on the territory, in particular the links between cities and rural areas.

Our goal is for regions, jointly with UCLG, to strengthen dialogue with international organizations and cooperation with local governments, to enable us to move forward together in our recognition as key actors in the definition and implementation of policies.

Documents

Key content

World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders 12-15 October 2016

On 12-15 October the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders was held in Bogotá together with the 5th UCLG World Congress. During the World Summit, local and regional leaders had the opportunity to discuss cutting-edge environmental, economic and societal issues affecting our daily work on the ground.

The Summit counted with the participation of over 3500 delegates, local, regional national governments, private sector, civil society, academia and international community represented at the highest level, proceeding from over 110 countries, and in a program that included 156 sessions with over 300 speakers.

Workshop - Territorial governance for food security

The Workshop offered the study of the way to put the city at the heart of the food demand and as a key element of the food transition, essential for the sustainable development and inclusive to all the territories as well as the reinforcement of local governments in line with the implementation of SDG 2.

An urban food system based, not on the food artificialization, but on rural anchorage, biodiversity, the development of small and medium enterprises and short-circuit, would allow to slow urban congestion and contribute to balance the territories.

The speakers taking part in the Workshop were:
Valérie Nicolas (ARF) as a Moderator
Benoit Faucheux, President of the Sustainable Development Committee of the French Regions Association (ARF)
Gabriella Jaramillo Viceprefecta de Imbabura (CONGOPE) Ecuador
Henri Rouillé d’Orfeuil, Project “100 sustainable and responsible food initiatives”
Makiko Taguchi, Coordinator of the global network Foods for Cities in the FAO
Maria Alejandra Saleme, International Cooperation Agency of Medellín
Rafael Zavala, FAO Representative in Colombia
Joaquim Oliveira Martins, Division’s Chief of Regional Development OCDE
Marie-Eve Buist, Coordinator at the Legal Research Chair on Food Diversity and Security. Université LAVAL Québec

Food Security

Community forum - Regional Governments

Regions are key actors in the achievement of the global agenda. Their competencies range from territorial planning through to economic development, the provision of infrastructures, environmental management, equality, education, health, and food security policies, among many others.

A proactive involvement of regional governments is crucial to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and implement the New Urban Agenda.

This meeting, organized by the Forum of the Regions of UCLG, guided the definition of a roadmap towards the forthcoming Regional Section of UCLG, and mobilized all intermediate governments that currently form the different regional sections of UCLG.

The speakers taking part in the session were:

Antònia Sabartés, Coordinator of the UCLG Forum of the Regions as a moderator
Benoit Faucheux, Vice-President of the Centre-Val de Loire Region, President of the Sustainable Development Commission of the Association of French Regions (ARF)
Gustavo Baroja, Governor of Pichincha, President of the Association of Autonomous Provincial Governments of Ecuador (CONGOPE)
Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region and President of the Conference of Italian Regions and Autonomous Provinces
Rashid Seedat, Head of the Gauteng Planning Division, Gauteng Provincial Government (South Africa)
Sarath Ethanayake, Chief Minister of the Central Province (Sri Lanka)
Miguel Lifschitz, Governor of Santa Fe (Argentina), Vice President of UCLG for the Forum of Regions , represented by Maria Julia Reyna, international affairs Secretary
Didier Alberto Tavera, Governor of Santander (Colombia)
José Manuel Salazar-Xininachs, Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

Regions

The Santa Fe Declaration 31-1 April 2016

From 31 March to 1 April 2016 the Forum of Regions and the UCLG Working Group on Intermediate Cities, together with the Government of the State of Santa Fe and the ILO, organised the first meeting on capacity building around issues of employment and decent work as part of the Forum of South-South and Triangular Cooperation held in Santa Fe, Argentina.

The event concluded with the Santa Fe Declaration, highlighting cooperation between different levels of government as a necessary element to secure, among other key issues, quality employment, particularly for regions and cities. The Declaration was also a commitment to continue working together in this regard.

For more information click here

Regions, a new player in the UCLG learning agenda 11th March 2016

The success of the Urban Agenda will depend on our ability to reflect local experiences, the demands of the population and the new challenges that comprise the concretion of the sustainable development goals (SDG) in a global environment.

This scenario raises the need to adapt regional and local public policies, and strengthen the role of local and regional Governments as agents of development. The agenda of regional Governments and its role on the international scene is of great importance for UCLG. For this reason, UCLG seeks to articulate its regional members through the Forum of Regions.

For more info, click here

Search form

Forum of Regions

Issue

Related content