Local Authorities

Highlights for Friday, 15 November 2019 Mohamed Boudra, Mayor of Al Hoceima, Morocco (left), is elected as the new President of the UCLG, with Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan, Russian Federation (right), elected as Chairperson of the UN Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA). The United Cities and Local Congress World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders closed on Friday evening, 15 November, by electing Mohamed Boudra, Mayor of Al Hoceima, Morocco, and President of the Moroccan Association of Communal Council of Presidents (AMPCC), to lead a new collegiate presidency of co-presidents, treasurers, and special envoys. The newly elected presidency and officers are: President: Mohamed Boudra, Mayor of Al Hoceima, Morocco; Chair of the UN Advisory Committee for Local Authorities: Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan, Russian Federation; Co-Presidents: Johnny Araya, Mayor of San José, Costa Rica; Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya, Turkey; Jan Van Zanen, Mayor of Utrecht, the Netherlands; Li Mingyuan, Mayor of Xi’an, China; Thembisile Nkadimeng, Mayor of Polokwane, South Africa; Treasurers: Madelaine Alfelor-Gazman, Mayor of Iriga, the Philippines; Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener, Canada; and Special Envoys: Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona, Spain; Special Envoy to the UN; Fernando Medina, Mayor of Lisbon, Portugal, Special Envoy for Local Development. In his inaugural speech, Boudra said he was honored to be at the helm of UCLG, thanking all who had supported his election, especially the UCLG-Africa section. He said the UCLG stood ready to stand with partners and interlocutors on the sustainable development agenda.Reflecting on an insightful and inspiring journey, Mpho Parks Tau, outgoing UCLG President, expressed his gratitude to the municipal movement. He noted that the three-year legacy would strengthen the world organization, make it more visible on the international arena with localization at its core.The final day of the Summit provided an opportunity for convening the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, which acts as the main political voice of the world organization. The Assembly received a comprehensive series of recommendations from the Town Hall and Assembly Tracks and adopted a Political Declaration.The main outcomes of the meeting are the Durban Political Declaration - Envisioning the Future of Our Renewed International Municipal Movement, and the Outcome Document of the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments. These policy outcomes will shape the upcoming actions of the ULCG as it advances a local and regional perspective and increasingly shapes the global multilateral agenda.On the immediate horizon will be the organization’s role in shaping the world’s development agenda by contributing to preparations for the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women/Beijing+25 and the UN 75th anniversary events that will include input on the perspective of local governments on the future of the global multilateral agenda.The World Summit brought together more than 3000 local and regional leaders and other stakeholders at the International Conference Centre in eThekwini-Durban. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the #UCLGCongress Durban 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the Congress, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page World Council View of the dais during the World Council. Mpho Parks Tau, outgoing UCLG President Carola Gunnarsson, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions Heo Tae-jeong, Mayor of Daejeon, Republic of Korea Claudio Sule Fernández, City Association, Chile Daejeon, Republic of Korea, is announced as the host for UCLG 2022. Mohamed Boudra, newly elected UCLG President Mpho Parks Tau, outgoing UCLG President, congratulates Mohamed Boudra on his election Family photo of the newly elected Presidency. World Assembly Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General, opens the World Assembly. Mpho Moruakgomo, Chairman, Commonwealth Local Government Forum Board Laia Bonet, Deputy Mayor of Barcelona, Spain, and Co-President of Metropolis Panel speakers during the session 'Challenges and priorities: the quest of local and regional governments (LRG) in the current context' (L-R): Gunn Marit Helgesen, President, Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Governments; Sami Kanaan, Mayor of Geneva, Switzerland; Souad Abderrahim, Mayor of Tunis, Tunisia; Kobie Brand, ICLEI Regional Director for Africa; Hannes Lagrelius, World Blind Union; Violet Shivutse, Chair of Governing Council, Huairou Commission; and Madelaine Yorobe, Mayor of Iriga, the Philippines. Panel speakers during the session 'Driving policy innovation from the bottom-up' (L-R): Patrick Klugman, Deputy Mayor of Paris, France; Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia; Nelson Saule Junior, Polis Institute, and Global Platform for the Right to the City (GPR2C); Greg Munro, Secretary-General, Commonwealth Local Government Forum; Núria Marín, Barcelona Provincial Council, Spain; David Cull, Mayor of Dunedin, President of Local Government, New Zealand; Billy Cobbett, Director, Cities Alliance; and Armand Béouindé, Mayor of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Vera Galushko, Mayor of Krasnodar, Russian Federation Hannes Lagrelius, World Blind Union Panel speakers during the session 'Leading the local-global coalition towards the implementation decade' (L-R): Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco; Manuel de Araújo, Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique; Vera Galushko, Mayor of Krasnodar, Russian Federation; Noraini Roslan, Mayor of Subang Jaya, Malaysia; Octavi de la Varga Mas, Secretary-General, Metropolis; and Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility. Intergenerational Dialogue for Peace and Solidarity Panel speakers during the 'Intergenerational dialogue for peace and solidarity': Mariam Iddrisu, Mayor of Sagnarigu Municipality, Ghana, and Vice-President, Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA-West Africa); Imen Ouardani, City of Sousse, Tunisia; Prisca Amponsah, Student of Law, University of Ghana; Johnny Araya Monge, Mayor of San José, Costa Rica; Sofia Moschin, Italian Youth Delegate; Vasu Gounden, Executive Director, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD); Tamires Gomes Sampaio, Director, Lula Institute, Brazil; Aníbal Gavíria Correa, President of the Assembly, Cities Alliance; Jan van Zanen, Mayor of Utrecht, and President of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities; Aisen Nikolaev, Head, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation; and Raghav Ranganathan, Organisational Development and Conflict Engagement, India. Prisca Amponsah, Student of Law, University of Ghana Tamires Gomes Sampaio, Director, Lula Institute, Brazil Aisen Nikolaev, Head, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation Jan van Zanen, Mayor of Utrecht, and President of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities UCLG Peace Prize Award Ceremony Ton Rombouts, Senator of the Netherlands, and Ambassador of the UCLG Peace Prize, presented the awards, which celebrates successful initiatives undertaken by local governments in ensuring sustainable and peaceful development. Bassel Al-Hujairy, Mayor of Arsal Municipality, Lebanon (far left), is awarded the prize. All finalists are given a token of appreciation for their efforts in encouraging peace. Local4Action Track Participants attend the session 'Local government associations 2.0 - ready for the future.' Panel speakers during the session 'Peace initiatives: inspiration from the UCLG Peace Prize finalists.' Local4Action Hub Panel speakers during the session 'Digital networking for sustainable urban development' (L-R): Sara Hoeflich, UCLG Learning; Octavi de la Varga, Secretary-General, Metropolis; Kate Joseph, City of Johannesburg, South Africa; and Thomas Honeck, Berlin Senate Chancellery. Closing Plenary Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General, Mpho Parks Tau, outgoing UCLG President, Mohamed Boudra, newly elected UCLG President, Thembisile Nkadimeng, South African Local Government Association (SALGA), and Mxolisi Kaunda, Executive Mayor eThekwini Municipality, South Africa, stand while the South African national anthem is played during the closing celermony. The South African acapella group, The Legacy, performs at the closing ceremony. Around the Venue Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General, Mariam Iddrisu, Mayor of Sagnarigu Municipality, Ghana, and Vice-President, Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA-West Africa), Thembisile Nkadimeng, SALGA, and Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia, give a thumbs up for the empowerment of women. Delegates between sessions. Participants speak informally. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiaions Bulletin+ (ENB+) team covering UCLG Congress 2019: Asheline Appleton, Kenya; Simon Høiberg Olsen, Denmark/Japan; Annelies van Gaalen, South Africa; Peter Doran, Ireland; Wangu Mwangi, Kenya; and Kiara Worth, South Africa.

Highlights for Tuesday, 12 November 2019 The second day of the UCLG Congress 2019 continued at the Durban International Convention Centre. The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders convened for a series of preparatory and networking meetings ahead of Wednesday’s official opening. UCLG Secretary-General, Emilia Saiz, addressed the Fourth UCLG Learning Forum, which consisted of learning interaction opportunities, providing an assessment of the state of learning within the network and recommendations to extend the reach of UCLG policies.Work under the discussion Tracks proceeded, with delegates considering, among other topics: The role of culture as a vehicle of public policy and as the fourth pillar of development, with a focus on the ULCG’s African Capital of Culture initiative; Urban equality, human rights, migration, and gender. Citizenship and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Sustainable mobility, urban policy, diversity, finance and investment, and citizenship; and Peripheral cities and the New Urban Agenda. Gender equality featured in a number of meetings, including a special session on the future of equality “Beyond Beijing+25”, which looked forward to the sixty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64) to be held in New York when the UN will mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). Also on Tuesday, Ubuntu Advisors, Ana Falú, Argentina, and Sheela Patel, India, underlined the centrality of gender to the UCLG Congress with a shared analysis of the deep inequalities experienced by urban women and the urgency of local responses, led by women. A statement from the special session on Beijing+25 may go forward to the UN Commission on the Status of Women on Beijing+25 and Agenda 2030. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the #UCLGCongress Durban 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the Congress, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Local4Action Hub Panel speakers during the session 'The role of Agenda 2030 in creating citizenship: how can local governments use the SDGs to connect with their citizens?' (L-R): Diana Lopez, Local Government and Decentralization Unit, UN-Habitat; Johannes Krassnitzer, Director, Art-GOLD initiative, UN Development Programme (UNDP); Carla Rey, Secretary-General, Italian National Association for the European Council of Municipalities and Regions (AICCRE); Miquel Rodríguez Planas, Commissioner of the 2030 Agenda, Barcelona City Council, Spain; and Federico Poitier, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, World Enabled. Diana Lopez, Head, Local Government and Decentralization Unit, UN-Habitat Johannes Krassnitzer, Director, Art-GOLD initiative, UNDP Local4Action Track Panel speakers during the session on 'Safe public spaces' (L-R): Puven Akkiah, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa; Debora Gambetta Paier and Barbara Holtmann, UN-Habitat; Sibongiseni Mkhize, Chief Whip, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa; and Ayanda Roji, City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Panel speakers during the session on 'Training on Sustainable Mobility' (L-R): Kim Won-Ho, Director, The Seoul Institute; José Dionisio González, International Association of Public Transport (UITP); and Quentin Champauzac, City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, France. Panel speakers during the 'Forum of Regions' session included (L-R): Firdaous Oussidhhoum, UCLG; Ilaria Bugetti; Councillor of Toscana Region, Italy; Mohamed Boudra, Mayor of Al Hoceima, Morocco, and President of the Moroccan Association of Communal Council of Presidents (AMPCC); María Julia Reyna, Secretary of International Relations and Integration of the Government of Santa Fe, Argentina; Fatimatou Abdel Malick, President of Nouakchott Regional Council, Mauritania; and Patrick Braouezec, President, Plaine Commune Metropolitan Region, France, and Co-Chair of the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy, and Human Rights. Ayanda Roji, City of Johannesburg, South Africa Rasim Ari, Mayor of Nevsehir, Turkey Panel speakers for the session 'Culture Driven Public Policies' (L-R): Chae Jong Hyub, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Republic of Korea; Mariana Flores, Government of the City of Mexico, Mexico; Soham El Wardini, Mayor of Dakar, Senegal; Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, UCLG Africa. Panel speakers for the 'Forum of Peripheral Cities' (L-R): Djamel Sandid, Coordinator, UCLG Peripheral Cities Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco; Lia Brum, World Secretariat – Metropolis; Abdoulaye Thimbo, Mayor of Pikine, Senegal; and Patrick Braouezec, President, Plaine Commune Metropolitan Region, France, and Co-Chair of the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy, and Human Rights. Ana María Falú and Sheela Patel, UBUNTU Advisors, speak during a session focused on gender equality. Participants speak informally between sessions. Panel speakers for the 'Is Urban Policy Working for You?' (L-R): Rafael Forero, UN-Habitat; Agustí Serra Monté, Secretary of Urban Habitat and Territory of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Spain; Ellen van Selm, Mayor of Opsterland, the Netherlands; Edgardo Bilsky, UCLG; and Nomkita Fani, Intermediate Cities and Spatial Planning, South Africa. Panel speakers during the session 'Human rights and rights to the city: what are emerging priorities for local governments?' (L-R): Annie Chrystel Limburg, Deputy Mayor of Libreville, Gabon; Patrick Braouezec, President, Plaine Commune Metropolitan Region, France, and Co-Chair of the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy, and Human Rights; Imen Ouardani, City of Sousse, Tunisia; Fernanda Hassem, Mayor of Brasiléia, Brazil; and Nelson Fernández, Montevideo and Metropolis Regional Secretary, Argentina. Panel speakers during the session 'Partnerships for Urban Equality' (L-R): Caren Levy, University College London, UK; Anelis María Marichal González, Institute of Physical Planning, Havana, Cuba; Michele Acuto, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne, Australia; and Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Panel speakers during the 'Forum of Intermediary Cities' (L-R): Rasim Ari, Mayor of Nevsehir, Turkey; José Manuel Ribeiro, Mayor of Valongo, Portugal; Kontxi Odriozola Eizaguirre, Barcelona Council, Spain; Carlos Martínez Mínguez, Mayor of Soria, Spain; Hassan Fateh General Directorate of Local Authorities, Morocco; Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco; Jake Elder, Bloomberg Associates; and Joan Chicón, Terrassa, Spain. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone Fatmata Shour, Activist, Poet, and Actor, Sierra Leone Rafael Forero, UN-Habitat, speaks during the session 'MetroHub: supporting metropolitan development worldwide.' Panel speakers for the session '#Cities4Migration: The MC2CM experience - from dialogue and knowledge to action' (L-R): Mounir Elloumi, Mayor of Sfax, Tunisia; Ümit Şahin, Deputy Mayor of Sancaktepe, Turkey; and Mohamed Boussraoui, Director of Programme, UCLG. Panel speakers for the session 'Raising national ambition on climate: the role of cities in the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and long-term emissions reduction strategies' (L-R): Adrian Fenton, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group; Jantine Kriens, CEO, Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG); Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco, and President of UCLG Forum of Intermediary Cities; Maryke Van Staden, Director of Bonn Center for Local Climate Action and Reporting of ICLEI; Steven Bland, Climate Change and Urban Planning Consultant of UN-Habitat; and Bev Esslinger, Councillor of Edmonton, Canada, and Board Member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Special Sessions Panel speakers during the special session focused on 'The future of equality: beyond Beijing+25' (L-R): Noraini Binti Roslan, Mayor of Subang Java, Malaysia; Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia; Thembi Nkadimeng, South African Local Government Association (SALGA); Ana María Falú, UBUNTU Advisor; Carola Gunnarsson, Vice-President, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR); Lucy Slack, Deputy Secretary General, Commonwealth Local Governments Forum (CLGF); and Evgenia Lodvidova, Vice Mayor of Kazan, Russian Federation. Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia Roland Ries, UCLG Co-President, Senator, and Mayor of Strasbourg, France Panel speakers during the special session 'The future of mobility' (L-R): Mzwandile Masina, Executive Mayor, City of Ekurhuleni, South Africa; José Dionisio González, UITP; Esteban Galuzzi, Undersecretary for Transportation and Traffic, City of Buenos Aires; Erion Veliaj; Mayor of Tirana, Albania; Roland Ries, UCLG Co-President, Senator, and Mayor of Strasbourg, France; Annalisa Palozzo; Councillor of the Municipality of Cepagatti, Italy; Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, UCLG Africa; Mariana Flores, Government of Mexico City, Mexico; and David Cull, Mayor of Dunedin City Council, New Zealand. Financial Management Committee Meeting Participants gather for the Financial Management Committee Meeting. Emilia Sáiz, UCLG Secretary-General Berry Vrbanovic, UCLG Treasurer UN Global Compact Steering Committee Meeting Members of the UCLG Secretariat participate in a UN Global Compact Steering Committee meeting for the City Partnership Challenge. Around the Venue Delegates arrive at the venue as the second day of the UCLG Congress continues. Delegates network between sessions.