UCLG continues to hold the series of the online webinars on the role of local and regional governments in the fight against the pandemic of the COVID-19. Previously, participants discussed the challenges in the fields of economics, municipal services, gender equality, urban culture and others. On June 11, 2020, the Live Learning Experience on Peace was held. The participants agreed that the contribution of local and regional governments to the promotion of peace lies in the fulfilment of their daily tasks, in the promotion of basic services, and in how they care for their communities.
Among the participants of the LLE on Peace were UCLG Secretary General Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of Metropolis Octavi de la Varga, State of Minnesota Senator (USA) Patricia Torres Ray, Mayor of Granollers Josep Mayoral Artigas, Mayor of Bangui Émile Gros Raymond Nakombo, etc.
Councilor of the city of Volgograd Maria Deeva spoke about how the city became a center of twinning relations, and how today it promotes peace through public diplomacy. ‘In 1944, the citizens of Stalingrad and Coventry reached out to each other. Since then, the twinning of municipalities has remained a manifestation of people’s (or public) diplomacy, which means the diplomacy working through informal contacts and never stopping, no matter what the relations are between the countries. For more than 75 years since, people’s diplomacy has remained a priority in Volgograd’s international activities. Among its key actors are public organizations, elderly people, school and university students. Today, Volgograd has 44 sister and partner-cities in Russia and abroad’, Maria Deeva said in her speech.
15.06.2020