The UCLG Executive Bureau was held on June 13-15 in Sevilla, Spain, under the theme “Local and Regional Governments Fostering Peace at the front line of Emergencies.” The Executive Bureau discussed the work program until the UCLG Congress to be held in Daejeon in October, including the statutory issues related to the renewal of the governing bodies. The event also gave the participants the opportunity to attend the Mediterranean Forum on Urban Migration.
Several thematic sessions, hosted by the Policy Councils and Consultation Mechanisms, around priority areas for the constituency were also held: UCLG Municipal Peace Talks: Local Governments’ roles and solidarity in times of international crisis; The New Urban Agenda Under Review, Renewing Democracy from the bottom up; Local Economic Development for an Equitable Recovery; 10, 100, 1000 Human Rights Cities and Territories by 2030; Lampedusa Charter for Human Mobility: dignity and territorial solidarity at the center, accompanying peace processes.
The High-Level Policy Debate integrated these subjects and witnessed debates on the essentials of the care society that the municipal movement is promoting. The Pact for the Future, which is intended to guide the work of the World Organization in the coming years, was also discussed.
UCLG-MEWA Secretary General Mehmet Duman remarked at the session of Municipal Peace Talks: “We have difficulties finding a person to speak to in Afghanistan. It not only directly affects people living there but also complicates efforts to network internationally. We need more effective work by international networks.”
Mehmet Duman also presented the policy paper of the UCLG-MEWA at the Business Session of the Executive Bureau, underlining the role of local governments and municipalities post the COVID-19 pandemic. The new strategies will be formulated for the challenges, including climate change and natural disasters like forest fires, floods, etc. He also emphasized the importance of developing comprehensive policies to improve the coordination of national and local authorities on local data collection to strengthen the SDG achievements.
The Secretary General highlighted the Lampedusa Charter’s dissemination process in the MEWA Region. He added that the principle of “protecting people, not borders” that the Lampedusa Charter is building on should be at the top of our priorities in the future.
The event concluded with the election of the new Governing Presidents, Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya, and Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener, for the next rotational term until the High Level Political Forum in July 2022.