Quito, 10 July 2008: Over 100 representatives of Local Governmentsaround the world gathered in Quito, Ecuador, on the 9th and 11th ofJuly 2008, for the meeting of the Executive Bureau of United Cities,Local Governments (UCLG), under the presence of Bertrand Delanoë.

The mayors and presidents of the provinces, regions, associations of local governments and their representatives have evaluated the state of their relations with the central governments with respect to the development of decentralization in the world and the problems that may arise from this process. Euro-Asia Regional Section of the UCLG was represented by its Secretary General, Councillor to Mayor of Kazan Mr.Rassikh Sagitov. The Executive Bureau of UCLG has decided that the second edition of the Global Report on Decentralization and Local Government, which will be published in 2010, will tackle the issues of financing local governments and basic public services. Both of these issues are key conditioning factors with regards to the reality and effectiveness of decentralization.
 
The debates have also discussed the future of the international agenda of local governments. In particular, four key fields for the future of humanity have been drawn up:
 
The pressing climate problems and the role of local governments in the negotiations of the post-Kyoto treaties. Local governments want their voices to be heard in these negotiations. They want that future accords concerning climate problems contemplate the possibility of developing solutions on a local level. In this context they have launched a program on the prevention of natural disasters and have welcomed the expressions of solidarity between cities and regions with regard to recent catastrophes, especially the Asian region.
 
City diplomacy and the construction of a general and lasting peace is a priority for UCLG. Through the promotion of dialogue and cultural exchanges, local governments and their associations intervene on a daily basis in favor of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction achieving tangible results. The participants of the Executive Bureau have shown their support for the implementation of the city diplomacy program which was recently adopted in The Hague. They also celebrated the liberation of hostages in Colombia and called for the liberation of other thousands of hostages around the world.
 
Social inclusion and the need to implement participatory politics. The participants have insisted that citizen participation is necessary in order to construct cohesive and lasting societies and in defining long-term strategies for fighting poverty, precarious work situations and the protection of human rights.
 
The role of local governments in improving the efficiency of development and in the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations. After examining the recent participation of local governments in the debates concerning the effectiveness of development aid, they insisted in the need to make sure that the role of local governments is acknowledged in the UN Call to Action for the MDGs. They as representatives of citizens will be instrumental in the achievement of the MDGs.

11.07.2008

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