UCLG Congress starts today: our 7 shortlisted events

One year after the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit that defined the 2030 Agenda, the 5^th UCLG World Congress is an opportunity for local leaders from across the globe to come together to discuss the issues and priorities that matter to them, as well as to define the recommendations of local and regional governments for the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III.

When? 12 October, 10:30 to 13:30 (UTC/GMT-5)

Who? With the participation of journalist and media professionals, representatives of local and regional governments and representatives of United Cities and Local Governments and UN Habitat

What? This years’ World Summit of local and regional leaders will include an Urban Journalism Academy, with the aim of encouraging a more proactive and effective role of the media in the development of cities at local, national and international levels.

Follow the hashtag #H3Journalism

When? 12 October, 12.00 to 13.30 (UTC/GMT-5)
Where? venue S6
Who? Co-organised by VNGi & PLATFORMA, with the participation of Peter Knip (Director of VNGi)
What? The objective of the CONNECT Mechanism is to facilitate effective transfer of specific local and regional government know-how, in particular via brokering, which will allow local and regional governments in partner countries (the demand side) to find available expertise in European countries and beyond (the supply side), in order to contribute to capacity development.
Discover our video on CONNECT

When? 12 October, 14.00-17.00 (UTC/GMT-5)
Where? University of Rosario
Who? Co-organised by Cités Unies France, in parallel to the Conference program
What? Cités Unies France, the Colombian Federation of Municipalities, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, the French Development Agency and the Colombian Presidential agency of cooperation, in close collaboration with the cooperation and investment agency Medellin and the metropolitan area, the euro Latin American Alliance of cooperation among cities and the University of Rosario is organising a seminar to promote decentralised cooperation between France and Colombia.

When? 13 October, 9.00 to 10.30 (UTC/GMT-5)
Where? venue S4
Who? Organised by PLATFORMA, moderated by Íñigo de la Serna (Mayor of Santander, Acting President of CEMR)
What? 10 students from Universidad del Rosario engage in a simulated council debate on an international partnership between the fictitious city of Plato de Forma and the equally fictitious city of Escuerra. Four fictional political groups practice their arguments on each other – and on the participants of the Congress. The workshop is based on the Model UN, adapted to fit the reality of a local political council. Debates will be lively and you can participate by sharing your experience and give advice to these future decision makers.
Discover our trailer on the Model City Council

When? 13 October, 18.00-19.30 (UTC/GMT-5)

Where? venue S3

Who? Organised by UCLG, VNGi & DIBA, moderated by Ton Rombouts, Vice-Chair of the UCLG Commission on Development Cooperation and City Diplomacy, Mayor of ‘s Hertogenbosch (VNGi)

What? The UCLG City of Bogotá Peace Prize is a triennial award for a coalition of local governments that have implemented initiatives in conflict prevention, conflict resolution or peace building, that are proven to have had a significant positive impact. The prize aims to contribute to full acknowledgement of the important but often overlooked role of local governments as peace building actors, thus creating a more effective approach to conflict resolution. The high-level jury of the UCLG City of Bogotá Peace Prize has selected the five finalists for the prize. In this session, these finalists will present their initiatives for the jury and audience. The jury will decide on the winner after the session and the prize will be awarded during the General Assembly on 14 October.

Follow @UCLGPeacePrize

When? 14 October, 9.00-10.30 (UTC/GMT-5)

Where? venue S1

Who? Among the speakers are Luc Martens (president of VVSG), Carlos Martínez (Mayor of Soria, Board member of FEMP, Vice president of CEMR) or Isaac Ashai Odamtten (Mayor of Tema, President National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana)

What? The broad family of local and regional governments has a proud historical tradition of decentralized cooperation and international solidarity. This session explores how local and regional governments can share expertise with one another to improve their ability to tackle common challenges from urban planning to migration.

When? 14 October, 14.00-15.30 (UTC/GMT-5)

Where? Grand Salon

What? The Second World Assembly is an initiative of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF), facilitated by UCLG. It is the inheritor of the First World Assembly of Cities and Local Authorities, which took place in Istanbul just before Habitat II in 1996. It has been officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in recognition of the role local authorities and communities play in sustainable urban development and in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. The Second World Assembly is the mechanism through which the local and regional government constituency will make its joint inputs to the Habitat III process.