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The local and regional agenda during the 7th World Urban Forum
The United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) will celebrate the 7th session of the World Urban Forum in the Colombian city of Medellín on 5-11 April under the overall theme “Urban Equity in Development – Cities for Life”. This global event will include a number of important sessions for the local and regional agenda.
Main Stories
United Cities and Local Governments took part to the United Nations Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) High-Level Symposium from 19-21 March 2014 in Berlin. The meetings were hosted by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
World Water Day logo 2014
On World Water Day, UCLG reaffirms that ensuring access to safe water is a top priority of local and regional governments, both as an end in itself, and as a driver of environmental sustainability, empowerment of women, social inclusion, and poverty reduction.
The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC), established in December 2011 during the Fourth High Level Forum in Busan, will hold its first ministerial meeting on 15-16 of Abril 2014 in Mexico City. The meeting will address the governance of the Partnership.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will hold negotiation sessions in Bonn, Germany, from 10 to 14 March. The Bonn session will be critical for local and regional governments to continue building the momentum to the COP-20 in Lima and COP-21 in Paris.
Guangzhou International Award
The Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation is co-sponsored by the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis) and the City of Guangzhou. The aim of the Guangzhou Award is to recognize innovation.
UCLG says farewell to Iñaki Azcuna
It is with great regret that we have learned of the passing of Iñaki Azcuna, Mayor of Bilbao. Many of the members of United Cities and Local Governments will remember him for his commitment and leadership in the transformation policies of Bilbao.
UCLG is looking for a Project officer for its Migration Programme
United Cities and Local Governments, the world local and regional government organisation, is recruiting a Project Officer to work at its World Secretariat in Barcelona, Spain. In this challenging and rewarding role, you will work as part of a small, dynamic, international team to help develop UCLG's activities.
UCLG Sections & members
local government  is tackling youth unemployment
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) launches its report “Tackling youth unemployment: let’s revive partnership between all governance levels”*, which offers a state of play of local government participation in the implementation of strategies.
Call for good practices – participatory society
VNG International is looking for inspiring examples about participatory practices to present them at local level during the Annual General Assembly of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities. We are collecting ten good practices from local governments about their participatory approaches within the social domain.
COMMITTEES, WORKING GROUPS, COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE & FORA
Anne Hidalgo
UCLG Women congratulate Anne Hidalgo, Chair of the UCLG Standing Committee on Gender Equality and Co-president of UCLG, for her election as Mayor of Paris. Anne Hidalgo was the First Deputy Mayor of Paris, in charge of Gender Equality (2001-2008) and of Urbanism and Architecture (since 2008).
United Nations. Human Rights
The UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights has been requested by the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee to assist in conducting a study on the role of local governments in the promotion.
Cities for the human Rights
The city of Gwangju, South Korea, will discuss with the members of de Committee on Social Inclusion how to foster “Cities for the human Rights”. From 15 to 18 May 2014 the mayor of Gwangju, Mr. Kang Un-Tae, has called the 4th World Human Rights Cities Forum, which this year will be celebrated.
Magazine D+
The Committee on Decentralization and Local Self Governments has published the sixth issue of D+ Magazine, instrument for the dissemination and discussion of topics related to decentralisation and local governance. The present edition includes articles on the role of public-private partnership in improving the management of water services.
2015 UCLG Culture Summit
The UCLG members and Partners are invited to submit candidacies to host the “UCLG Culture Summit ”, to be celebrated between January and April 2015. Since the founding Congress of Paris, culture has been at the heart of UCLG with the adoption of the Agenda 21 for culture (May 2004), the Policy Statement “Culture: Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development”
Commission on the Status of Women
"I am not an NGO! I represent elected women from Africa and the World. Today through, for REFFELA and UCLG, we need to register as NGOs to be able to talk before you. We need however to understand the great opportunities that resourced local governance...".
UCLG Women
UCLG is convinced that communities in which all citizens are empowered to participate in social, economic and political opportunities are instrumental in the eradication of poverty. Achievements of the MDGs, in particular those related to women’s advancement are often linked with the quality of basic service provision that local governments are able to offer.
United Nations meetings #CSW58
The 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place from 10 to 21 March 2014 in New York. A delegation of the UCLG Standing Committee on Gender Equality will participate in the meetings and put forward the voices and messages of local and regional governments.
La Commission Méditerranée représentée par son co-présidents, M. Vauzelle, président de la Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur a participé à la 5ème session plénière de l’ARLEM, les 23 et 24 février à Tanger (Maroc). Chacune des deux Commission de l’ARLEM a présenté son rapport sur un thème spécifique.
Blog
Four years ago, Tokyo implemented a cutting-edge policy focused primarily on emissions from 1,400 of the most energy-hungry of those office buildings. By and large, it’s worked: Building owners targeted by the program have slashed power consumption and reduced their emissions by 23 percent below a baseline level.
Today, it would be impossible to conduct an in-depth analysis of the urban phenomenon without taking into account the role of intermediary cities, defined here as cities with less than 1 million inhabitants. In reality, these cities, at both local and regional level, account for over 50% of the global urban population.