UCLG and OECD Sign Agreement to Strengthen Collaboration

Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Josep Roig, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 16 October in the presence of Mexico Mayor Miguel Mancera, host of the Sixth Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers.

The MOU aims to reinforce the existing partnership between both institutions and promote the development of territorial policies. The OECD endeavors to achieve a certain level of development by supporting territories through enhanced dialog with regions and cities.

Due to their proximity to both citizens and economic stakeholders, in addition to their territorial knowledge, local governments are best placed to respond to the challenges of development. Challenges such as housing populations including refugees and migrants, providing water, education and investing to support economic activity are areas that affect cities and regions in their work towards inclusive and sustainable development.

UCLG advocates to strengthen the voices of local governments with regards to operational questions on implementing public policy and ensuring that local governments are involved in national and international decision-making. This involves acting collectively, at different levels, yet in favor of public interest.

 In agreement with the OECD, UCLG believes that effective multi-level governance, combined with an equitable distribution of resources among different levels of government, is key to successfully accomplishing public policies that enable these challenges to be overcome.

I am honored to sign this partnership agreement for the next three years  in the name of UCLG, which I would like to place under the auspice of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By fulfilling these objectives, our partnership becomes more effective, reinforcing how public action at the local level can address challenges on a global scale. While this may well be true for developing countries, it is also a reality for the regional and local authorities of OECD countries,” declared the UCLG Secretary General.