The UCLG Annual Retreat

On February 20, the second day of the annual meeting of representatives of local governments, UCLG’s regional sections and partners under the titile “Retreat” held in Barcelona (Spain), was dedicated to the sessions of the Global Taskforce of local and regional governments.

In the run-up to the UN High-level Political Forum, local and regional governments – members of UCLG issued a call related to the SDGs to be considered at the Forum, namely Goal 1 “No poverty”, Goal 2 “No hunger”, Goal 13 “Climate action”, Goal 16 “Peace, justice and strong institutions” and SDG 17 “Partnerships for the goals”.

The session “Fostering Ecological Transformation: Actioning SDG 13” with the topic central to the UCLG’s agenda for 2024 brought together such organizations as ICLEI (“Local Governments for Sustainability”), GCOM, the Resilient Cities Network, Regions4 Sustainable Development, Cities Alliance, Urban Food Systems Coalition, Global Forum for Migration and Development, etc. Catherine Gall, Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Territory Innovation Center Chair from the Global Observatory of Sustainable Proximities, told about the concept of a 15-minute city and a 30-minute territory presupposing the ensuring of easy access for citizens to the essential services and sites (healthcare, transport infrastructure).

On February 21, an impromptu “marketplace” aroused keen interest among participants. During this event cities and organizations were able to present and promote their initiatives and receive feedback. Among the projects were the best practices of the city of Xi’an (China), the “7 Keys” seminars of the UCLG Committee on Culture, the Let’s Food study on food security, “Media for Cities” by OnCities2030, the municipal international program on SDGs by FLACMA, etc.

On February 22, discussions took place on the work of such UCLG mechanisms as Local4Action, UCLG-Women, as well as trends in localizing the SDGs and the issue of migration.

During the last day of the Retreat, February 23, a session “The Power of Us” was held. Representatives of regional sections, committees, and working groups of UCLG discussed priorities for 2024 and opportunities for interaction.

Rasikh Sagitov, Secretary General of UCLG-Eurasia, presented the Eurasia Section’s priorities for this year in view of 7 principles underlying the “Power of Us” Concept: We act, We research, We learn, We meet, We listen, We advocate, We care. Rasikh Sagitov noted: “These are the objectives that local and regional governments from all over the world come together around to achieve the common goal of building a prosperous society on a prosperous planet. At the same time, each region is following its own path, focusing on its individual goals, within the framework of a common approach. UCLG-Eurasia works in all areas, and Eurasia cities contribute to transformations to achieve the sustainable development.” He highlighted the importance of preserving the unity of the UCLG World Organization, the Eurasia Section and joint efforts in achieving the SDGs, combating climate change, ensuring green economy.

At the event, UCLG-Eurasia was also represented by Evgeniia Lodvigova, Vice-Mayor of Kazan (Russia), and deputies of the Osh City Council (the Kyrgyz Republic) Bolotbek Baetov, Mirbek Mamatov, Bakay Zholdoshbaev and Shahnazar Bakir Uulu.

Note: The Global Taskforce of local and regional governments was created in 2013 to ensure political representation at the international level and promote dialogue within UN processes. The Global Taskforce advocates for the role of local and regional governments at the global table through the UN High-Level Political Forum, the Sustainable Development Goal Summits. It organizes the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, and ensures the review of the New Urban Agenda.

Photo: Mark Schardan (photos 1, 2)

27.02.2024

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