PLATFORMA is the oldest and broadest European association of local and regional governments. A pan-European coalition of towns and regions active in decentralized cooperation, PLATFORMA’s 29 partners represent towns and regions and their national associations, as well as European and global networks, that are active in city-to-city and region-to-region development cooperation. All partners cooperate internationally to promote sustainable development. It is an international network. The secretariat is hosted by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR).
“Throughout the world, towns and regions share a desire to learn and to exchange. At PLATFORMA, we transform that desire into a cooperative, global force for sustainable development. We believe in a world where no one and no place is left behind, where citizens have ownership, confidence and trust in the policies implemented in their town and region. We strive to be the hub of expertise on European local and regional governments’ international action, and aim to boost local and regional governments’ contributions to EU development cooperation policies and international frameworks.”
MARLÈNE SIMÉON, DIRECTOR OF PLATFORMA
PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES
We believe in a world where no one and no place is left behind, where citizens have ownership, confidence and trust in the policies implemented in their town and region. Together with our partners, we defend the role of towns and regions in EU development policies and international fora. We promote international cooperation between cities and regions across the world and boost capacity-building with our peers. We facilitate knowledge exchange, peer-learning and innovative experimentation by towns and regions and their associations.
“Cooperation between cities and regions at global level focuses on supporting local democracy, improving the lives of local communities, and achieving the 2030 Agenda. In each project, local and regional government partners join forces and work hand in hand with civil society and all other stakeholders to identify common problems and find the best solutions.
Because they are close to citizens and their needs, and know local strengths and weaknesses, the local and regional levels are the best places from which to address today’s and tomorrow’s global challenges, ensuring they receive appropriate recognition and support.”
KEY PROJECTS
Every two years, we organize the PLATFORMAwards to reward best practices in cities’ and regions’ international action. The third edition will take place in 2022. Each autumn, we coordinate the European Days of Local Solidarity (EDLS) to raise citizens’ awareness of what their municipalities and regions do at global level. More than one hundred events were organized in 2021. Together with our partners from Eastern Partnership countries, we organize a series of events to reinforce local democracy in the region and facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges. We also regularly publish studies and research papers, including an annual study on localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At global level, co-operation between cities and regions focuses on supporting local democracy, improving the lives of local communities, and achieving the 2030 Agenda. In each project, local and regional government partners join forces and work hand in hand with civil society and all other stakeholders to identify common problems and find the best solutions. Because they are close to citizens and their needs, and familiar with local strengths and weaknesses, local and regional locations are the best points from which to address today’s and tomorrow’s global challenges, ensuring they receive appropriate recognition and support.
1 Square de Meeûs, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2 265 09 30