CUF focuses on the internationalisation of towns & regions

Cités Unies France, in partnership with the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD) and the PLATFORMA coalition, organizes on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 October 2017 the “Internationalisation of towns & regions” meeting at the Pavillon d’Armenonville in Paris.

This event is an opportunity to reflect on the strategy and challenges of decentralised cooperation, but also to bring together a large number of French and foreign players. 1,500 participants, including 50 foreign delegations, are expected; 30 conferences and group-country meetings will be organised.

The conferences will set the rhythm of these two days of exchange through topical themes such as the refugees issue, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the issue of attractiveness for local and regional governments, climate, or rural territories to name just a few.

“For more than 40 years that CUF has existed, this international action has evolved from twinning to what we were the first to designate as ‘the internationalisation of territories’. This idea refers to the growing power of the partnerships of the French local and regional governments that are today global. They concern developing countries as well as emerging countries and OECD countries,” said Bertrand Gallet, former Director general of Cités Unies France.

The conference organised by PLATFORMA (10 October, 16.15-17.45) will focus on: “The new Africa-EU partnership: what role for local and regional governments?”.

The plenary conference will be the highlight of these Rencontres, on Tuesday 10 October at 11.00 am, bringing together the President of Cités Unies France and Mayor of Strasbourg, Roland Ries, the Director of the French Development Agency (AFD), Rémy Rioux, UCLG President, Mpho Parks Tau, and Louis Giscard d’Estaing, Member of the Steering Committee of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) and the Presidents of Intermunicipality.

Through the “Rencontres”, Cités Unies France, with the PLATFORMA network, wishes to contribute to a better understanding and closer collaboration between the French, European and foreign communities.

Last but not least, PLATFORMA is organising its second steering committee of the year during the Paris meeting.

For more information:

• Cités Unies France website
• Program
• Registration is open
• Invitation
• Contact: +33 (0) 1 53 41 81 81, coop-dec@cites-unies-france.org