More than 1 000 participants at the 10th “Rencontres” of Cités Unies France!

Great success for the 10th edition of the “Meetings of local authorities’ international action” organised by Cités Unies France: more than 1 000 participants, including representatives of more than fourty countries, took part to this anniversary edition!

Organised on 2-3 July 2019 at the City of Science and Industry in Paris, these 10th “Rencontres” were a great success, with strong commitments and participation, thanks to the common theme “from local action to international action: let’s develop sustainable territories together”.

Indeed, Cités Unies France hosted over two days more than 1 000 participants, including representatives from more than 130 French local governments and representatives of more than forty countries, i.e. 30% of foreign participants. The event was also opened to new stakeholders, such as companies, academics, researchers…

For the tenth consecutive year, the “Rencontres” have enabled French and foreign local governments to come together, exchange ideas, pool approaches and create links and opportunities for cooperation. Indeed, faced with the urgency of an ecological transition for our planet and to counter the recurring crises that our world is facing, thriving on the soil of growing inequalities, local governments are gradually becoming the next step to bring out the most relevant and innovative solutions. It is also these local governments that hold the keys to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This edition finally confirmed the importance of these “Rencontres” for the stakeholders of decentralised cooperation, in France and internationally. It was an opportunity for local governments to cross their approaches with those of companies, NGOs or researchers, to imagine together territories to develop and innovate collectively.

Recognising the role of elected women

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, opened this 10th edition. With a female participation of more than 40%, Cités Unies France has chosen to honor elected women around the world who work for their territories. Rachel Khan, a woman with an atypical career, high-level sportswoman, author, was the sponsor of this ceremony. Four foreign elected representatives were thus recognised for their action: Fatimétou Abdel Malik, President of the Region of Nouakchott (Mauritania), Jisook Bae, President of the Metropolitan of Daegu (Republic of Korea), Thembisilie Nkadimeng, Mayor, President of Salga, Network communities in South Africa; and Sabrina Bouras, Deputy Mayor of Tichy (Algeria).

These “Rencontres” were also an opportunity for PLATFORMA to launch the 2020 edition of the PLATFORMAwards. This second edition will promote the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals (SDG). Applications are open until 31 December 2019.

More information on the 2019 “Rencontres” (press release, photos, videos…), on Cités Unies France website: http://www.cites-unies-france.org/-Rencontres-de-l-action-internationale-des-collectivites-

(These “Rencontres” were co-organised by PLATFORMA and co-funded by the European Union).