Circular
23/2020
Barcelona, 30 November 2020
To the members of the World Council
To the Secretaries General
To the Vice-Presidents of United Cities and Local Governments
To the Chairs of UCLG Committees, Working Groups, Communities of Practice and Fora
For information: To the Presidency
Guangzhou Virtual World Council
Report of the #UCLGMeets week
Dear members,
Following the UCLG-Guangzhou World Council held virtually on 9-13 November 2020, we are pleased to enclose the
report of the #UCLGMeets week.
We thank all members and partners for their active participation and insightful contributions. We hope you share with us the positive perception of the outcomes of the meetings.
In the report of the week, you will find the following items:
- The key decision report of the statutory meetings
- The summary of the policy debates and opening sessions of the week
- The renewed composition of the UCLG Policy Councils as approved by the World Council
- The membership requests approved by the Executive Bureau
- The calendar of key events for what is left of 2020 and for 2021
Highlights of the #UCLGMeets week
The World Council held its first virtual gathering on 9-13 November, coinciding with the first anniversary of the World Congress in Durban and the elections of the UCLG leadership. The meetings were hosted by longstanding members of our Organization: the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Municipality of Guangzhou.
The 2020 edition of the World Council gathered over 300 participants, including around 100 local and regional elected officials, as well as numerous high-level partners from international organizations. The meetings, held under the motto “
The role of the international municipal and regional movement in COVID times”, confirmed the resolve of the UCLG leadership to contribute to the implementation of the international agendas, to participate fully in the redefinition of multilateralism, and to commit to developing a new
Pact for the Future, which will be powered by solidarity, equality, culture and accountable institutions, leaving no one and no place behind. This Pact is set to reflect the shared principles, values and aspirations of our communities, and will need to bring all stakeholders together, reflecting on our shared commitments towards the 100
th anniversary of the United Nations.
The UCLG Presidency is particularly grateful for the active participation of
Corinne Lepage, Former French Minister on Ecological Transition;
Antonio Vitorino, Director General of the International Organization on Migration (IOM);
Qu Dongyu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO);
Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat;
Volkan Bozkır, President of the United Nations General Assembly ;
Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights;
María Soledad Cisternas Reyes, UN Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility; as well as our partners from academia and civil society,
Prof. Caren Levy, of the University College of London,
Prof. Adriana Allen, President of Habitat International Coalition (HIC) and
Philipp Rode, Head of the London School of Economics Cities.
The UCLG leadership also shares its warm thanks to
António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations;
Liu Qibao, Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; and
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), who all shared a video message with our constituency specifically for the World Council meetings.
Last but not least, the World Organization thanks the hosts of the meetings for their valuable contributions and support:
Lin Songtian, President of CPAFFC;
Song Jingwu, Vice-President of CPAFFC;
Wen Guohui, Mayor of Guangzhou; and
Hu Hong, Vice-Mayor of Guangzhou, as well as all their teams.
As always, the World Secretariat team remains at your disposal for any further information you might need. Please do not hesitate to contact us at:
UCLGExBu@uclg.org.
Sincerely,
The UCLG World Secretariat
Please click on the links below to access the following documents:
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