The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Executive Bureau is scheduled to take place in Liverpool, the United Kingdom from 17th – 19th June 2014 by invitation from the Mayor of Liverpool, Mr. Joe Anderson and the Local Governments Association (LGA) on the occasion of the International Festival of Business aiming at providing UCLG members with new networking opportunities with different stakeholders. This is the first time the UCLG Executive Bureau Meeting will take place in the United Kingdom.
Not to be missed: Marking the opening of the Executive Bureau meetings on 17th June, three Policy Debates will be held at Liverpool Town Hall.
UCLG’s Global Agenda: Planning and Public Spaces
The Committees on Strategic Planning, Culture and Inclusion have identified this topic as key for the future agenda. Public spaces directly impact on the lives of citizens. Public spaces are where the city’s sociability is shaped, where citizens interact and where democracy is rooted. That is why public space is an essential dimension for the “right to the city”. In order to reach the status of “equitable city” it is necessary to adopt public-space centered urban strategies. How does this need to reflect in the new urban agenda?
Localizing the Post-2015 Agenda
A new round of global consultations on the “means of implementation” of the future Sustainable Development Goals has been launched. In the framework of these consultations, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), together with the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments for the Post-2015 Development Agenda towards Habitat III (GTF), are co-leading the consultation on localizing the post-2015 development agenda. Participants in Liverpool will address issues such as what have been the challenges of the MDGs? What capacities does the local level need to develop?
Urban Governance and the Global Agenda
Co-organized by the UCLG Committee on Decentralization and Local Self-Government, London School of Economic Cities this session will address the importance of urban governance for the global agenda. How do strong institutions contribute to peace and development? How to regain trust from the citizenship, from the bottom up?
The following UCLG Committees and Working Groups meetings are also scheduled for 17th June, in the afternoon: Urban Health, Development Cooperation and City Diplomacy and Local governments and Cooperation in Middle-East. A special session on Urban Governance and the Global Agenda, co-organized by the UCLG Committee on Decentralization and Local Self-Government, LSE Cities and UN Habitat, will also be held on the afternoon of 17th June in the Council Chamber.
BT Global City Leaders’ Summit
Over three hundred local and regional leaders from around the world will come together, as well as other stakeholders; to discuss the challenges and opportunities they face today, with a particular focus on how to generate growth at a time of austerity. Various members of UCLG will intervene in the different sessions organized throughout the day. Organized by the city of Liverpool and UCLG, this is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 18th June 2014 at St. George’s Hall.
The morning session will feature discussions between Mayors and key international figures. The afternoon session will be dedicated to Local Economic Development and the Local Governments Agenda for Post-2015. Leaders from some of the world’s most renowned cities will hear keynote speeches from: Greg Clark, the UK’s Minister for Cities; Joe Anderson OBE, Mayor of Liverpool; Sir Richard Leese, Mayor of Manchester; Kadir Topbaş, Mayor of Istanbul and President of UCLG; Fatallah Oualalou, Mayor of Rabat and Treasurer of UCLG; Gustavo Petro, Mayor of Bogota; Bilal Hamad, Mayor of Beirut, Khalifa Sall, Mayor of Dakar, Maty Mint Hamady, Mayor of Nouakchott, and Ms. ZHAO Wen, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, among others.
The Business Session of the Executive Bureau will be held on the morning of Thursday 19th June. The working agenda includes three Round Tables: Urban and Territorial Governance Challenges towards 2030, Sustainable and Inclusive Territories and Strengthening the UCLG network.
Fore further information:
Source: UCLG