The Annual Retreat of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), which gives its members and stakeholders the chance of meeting and addressing the policies, strategies, and the annual calendar, was held between February 20-24 in Barcelona, Spain, this year.
Organized at Palo Alto, a cultural and life center, the program hosted more than 200 representatives, including UCLG members, regional sections, and stakeholders who had fruitful exchange of ideas on the new term vision.
The first day of the program on “The Power of We” focused on the collective nature of “The Pact for the Future,” the political declaration of the UCLG Congress which was held in Daejeon in 2022 and the importance of co-action and co-production for UCLG network. The second day on “Unfolding the Pact for the Future,” the program offered both workshops and panel sessions on the pillars of the pact. Attending the meeting online, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General Mehmet DUMAN touched on the importance of the emphasis of “we” and laid stress on the need for cooperation in bounding the ties of the huge earthquake that affected Türkiye and Syria. Run with theme of “Global Task Force of Local and Regional Governments,” the third day brought together global city networks. On the fourth day of the program, which was carried out with a focus on media and local government relations, journalists and local government representatives had productive exchange of ideas related to the issue. The final day of the Retreat was assigned to UCLG Presidency Meeting. Councilor Mustafa Uzbaş attended the session as the representative of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, UCLG Executive President for 2023-2024 term.
At the end of Presidency Session, a statement and call was featured for the solidarity with the earthquake-affected communities of Türkiye and Syria.