UCLG is the product of a century-old collaborative movement of local and regional governments. It is the voice of democratic local self-government and, with 250,000 members in over 140 States, it represents 70% of the world’s population through local and regional governments in seven world regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, Middle East and West Asia, Latin America, and North America.
It also has a regional section and a section for metropolises and metropolitan areas. UCLG has ECOSOC consultative status.
“We stand on the shoulders of countless women and men who have worked tirelessly to empower each other for over a century, to lift up their communities and collaborate with one another to achieve change.
UCLG, as a global network of cities and local, regional, and metropolitan governments and their associations, is committed to representing, defending, and amplifying the voices of local and regional governments, to leave no-one and no place behind. Together we are the sentinels of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations held by individuals in communities around the world — searching for a life in which the ideals of the SDGs are a lived reality.
Through collaboration, dialogue, cooperation, and knowledge-sharing, we as a world organization walk the walk, working to advance global response and action through ground-breaking commitments and agreements that become common threads that transcend borders and tie communities together, to uplift and empower the local level.”
PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES
The major global development agendas can only be achieved if they are integrated in all planning, policymaking, and action. Global solutions need to build on local experiences to ensure a future for our communities. This is localization: the achievement of global agendas from the bottom-up. It is the cornerstone of our strategy.
We strive to strengthen and secure a seat at the global table for local and regional governments, to ensure not just that local perspectives and points of view play a part in how universal development agendas are implemented, but that local perspectives are considered from the start.
We are committed to the realization and renewal of local democracy, empowering local and regional governments to play their role in the future of humanity. Only if we equip local governments with the powers and resources they need will we be able to guarantee that the basic services they provide are delivered.
KEY PROJECTS
UCLG will continue to amplify the voice of local and regional governments at the global table by facilitating the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF), a landmark mechanism that inputs into all policy processes and convenes local and regional leaders from around the world in the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments.
Live Learning Experiences. During the pandemic, UCLG, UN-Habitat and Metropolis held a series of Live Learning Experiences: these have guided our advocacy and inspired our Decalogue for the post-COVID era.
CitiesAreListening Experience. The response to the Live Learning Experiences spurred the creation of the #CitiesAreListening Experience, a space for dialogue and interaction between different international civil society constituencies and the political leadership of our constituency.
Local4Action Hubs. In recent years UCLG has promoted the notion of Local4Action Hubs in UCLG to highlight the contribution that local practices and approaches have made to advancing the 2030 Agenda. The HUBs will provide visibility and a UCLG label to local and regional government initiatives, approaches, and policies on sustainable development.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated some of the shortcomings that the current international system already had. Local and regional governments have managed to carry out basic service provision while maintaining a sense of community among citizens, by carrying out proximity governance, and working to make sure that physical distancing does not alienate us from each other.
With this in mind, our UCLG Decalogue for the post COVID-19 era is our political charter in these times of crisis. It underpins solidarity as a beacon of security, and highlights ten transformative actions that lay the groundwork for the next generation of multilateralism.”
15 Carrer Aviny, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Phone: + 34 933 428 75
Secretary-General: Emilia Saiz Carrancedo
President: Dr. Mohamed Boudra