United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) aims at contributing to the united voice of its member local governments in the fields of social inclusion, participatory democracy and human rights; while also leading them for developing policies on these fields. Within the framework of UCLG-MEWA’s works implemented for promoting political negotiation, experience-sharing and peer-to-peer learning among municipalities at the global level; UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau and Council Joint Meeting will take place on 18 October 2017, and 1st UCLG-MEWA Forum on Local Governments and Social Inclusion will take place on 18-19 October, 2017 in Istanbul, under the auspices of Sancaktepe Municipality.
In addition to the humanitarian, infrastructural and financial resources required for ensuring social integration and the sustainability of development; it is also important to distribute welfare to all segments of society with a right based approach. As the main components of this necessity, social inclusion policies must be at the heart of the political agendas developed by local governments in this century. These are important issues for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda after HABITAT III process and for the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals in our cities and the world we live in.
The main theme of the 1st UCLG-MEWA Forum on Local Governments and Social Inclusion, titled “Social Inclusion and Local Governments in Localization of Global Agenda,” will focus on 3 thematic areas:
- Fighting Poverty and Social Exclusion: Right Based Development
- Social Policy Instruments for Women’s Social Integration
- Social Adaptation and Acceptance Process of Vulnerable Groups: Trends, Needs
After the sessions, participants will be informed about Istanbul Declaration: Commitment to Local Action for Social Inclusion, which was adopted by the Union of Municipalities of Turkey in 2016; and a monitoring group will be formed including local government leaders and academicians for the follow-up and implementation process of the Declaration by local governments.
We are hereby honored to invite you to the 1st UCLG-MEWA Forum on Local Governments and Social Inclusion, which will be a platform to discuss global social inclusion polices at local level for the fight against social exclusion.
The draft program is attached for your consideration. Please note that accommodation fees for maximum 2 persons from each municipality/organization will be covered. You are kindly requested to inform us about your participation by 29th September 2017, Friday, the latest.