Since its founding in 2004,[28][29] UCLG is headquartered in Barcelona (the World Secretariat, Metropolis and UCLG Regions), with its regional offices in Brasilia, Brussels, Istanbul, Jakarta, Kazan, La Paz, Ottawa and Rabat.[30][31][32] It is the largest organization of sub-national governments in the world, with over 240,000 members in over 140 UN Member States, and understands itself as the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, de facto representing over half the world's population across seven world regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Euroasia, Europe, Middle East & West Asia, Latin America and North America.[33][34]
Increasing the role and influence of local government and its representative organisations in global governance;
Becoming the main source of support for democratic, effective, innovative local government close to the citizen;
Ensuring an effective and democratic global organisation
History
Pan Am welcomes a delegation of 10 mayors from the Netherlands (June 1961)
UCLG's origins go back to 1913, when the Union Internationale des Villes (UIV) was set up at the International Congress of the Art of Building Cities and Organising Community Life in Ghent, Belgium.[35] The establishment of the UIV, a permanent office for communication and documentation on municipal issues, marked the birth of the international municipal movement. The association had a Provisional Council of 30 members and its first seat was in Brussels.[36] In 1928, the UIV changed its name to the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA).[37] In 1948, IULA's secretariat moved from Ghent to The Hague in the Netherlands,[37] where it remained until 2004.
The United Towns Organisation (UTO) (French: Fédération mondiale des cités unies (FMCU)) was set up in 1957 in Aix-les-Bains, France.[38] It was initially known as the World Federation of Twin Cities (French: Fédération mondiale des villes jumelées).
In 1984, then President of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France, Michel Giraud, convened the first Metropolis Congress.[39] The constituent Congress of Metropolis was held in Montreal in April 1985, and was attended by 14 founding member cities:
Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Colombo, Ile-de-France, London, Los Angeles, Mexico, Montreal, New York, Tokyo and Turin. The Metropolis secretariat was initially established in Montreal, moving to Barcelona under the presidency of then Mayor of Barcelona, Joan Clos, in 2000. In 2004, three international associations of local and regional governments – the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA), United Towns Organisation (UTO), and Metropolis – agreed to come together to form a single organization at UCLG's founding congress.[40]
The united organization started under the leadership of its founding President Bertrand Delanoë, mayor of Paris, serving two three-year terms (2004-2010) and continued under Kadir Topbaş of Istanbul (2010-2016).[41]
Organization and membership
UCLG is a membership organization with a democratic, federal structure. Its members include individual local and regional governments and their national associations. UCLG's governing bodies are made up of locally elected leaders, chosen by their peers in elections by UCLG members.
Sections
General Assembly of FLACMA-organized Latin American Congress of Local Authorities in Santiago de Chile (March 27–29, 2019).[42]Overview slide with participants of 2014 Metropolis World Congress in Hyderabad, 6-10 Oct. 2014UCLG Euroasia President Mayor Metshin of Kazan speaking at UN GA Local and Regional Governments’ Forum NYC 24–25 September 2019
2018 UCLG World Council meeting in Madrid, 5-8 Nov. 2018.[49]
UCLG's main policy-making body is the World Council. It has over 300 members from all world regions and meets no less than once every three years.[50] Previous meetings were in Madrid (2018)[49] & Hangzhou (2017).[51]
Executive bureau
The UCLG Executive Bureau is made up of 115 members. It meets twice a year and makes proposals and carries out the decisions of the World Council.[52]
Presidency
The presidency of the UCLG world network is made up of the president, six co-presidents and the treasurer, accompanied by two special envoys.
The presidency for the 2022-2026 period is:
The President of UCLG is Uğur Ibrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya.
Following the UCLG World Congress and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders held in Daejeon in October 2026, the UCLG leadership came to an agreement to develop a collegial Presidency, with a rotating President for a mandate of one year, as follows:
Carolina Cosse, Mayor of Montevideo, year 1: from the Daejeon Congress to the end of 2023.
Uğur Ibrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya, year 2: end of 2023-end of 2024.
Jan Van Zanen, Mayor of The Hague, year 3: end of 2024-end of 2025.
Lee Jang-Woo, Mayor of Daejeon, year 4: from the end of 2025 to the 8th UCLG Congress at the end of 2026.
Treasurers:
Ada Colau, City Councillor of Barcelona, as Ambassador for the Future of People.
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, as Ambassador for the Future of the Planet.
Yücel Yilmaz, Mayor of Balikesir, as Ambassador for the Future of Government.
World Secretariat
UCLG Secretary-General Emilia Saiz at the launch conference of the joint OECD-UCLG World Observatory on Sub National Finance and Investment, held in Paris on June 17, 2019.[53]
Current UCLG Secretary-General is Emilia Saiz, who was named in December 2017 to replace outgoing Josep Roig.[54]
Cross-sectional deliberative bodies
There are 19 permanent UCLG Cross-sectional bodies.[9]
Policy councils
There are four UCLG policy councils:
Right to the City and Inclusive Territories
Opportunities for All, Culture and City Diplomacy: Keys to Sustainable Development and Peace
Territorial Multilevel Governance and Sustainable Financing
Safer, Resilient and Sustainable Cities, Capable of Facing Crises
Each Policy Council can have up to 15 representatives with a political mandate, with at least one member of the Presidency. These report at each Executive Bureau session.
UCLG Retreat in Barcelona: World and Regional Secretaries-General planning the work ahead.UCLG and Global Covenant of Mayors' (GCoM) joint workshop on Climate Action
UCLG meets for World Summits, regular Congresses, Executive Bureau meetings & Reunions, organized by the World Secretariat & UCLG Sections. It also organizes various seminars and trainings.[56]
Projects
Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF)
UCLG facilitates the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF),[57] a coordination and consultation mechanism that brings together the major international networks of local governments to undertake joint advocacy work relating to global policy processes. The Global Taskforce was set up in 2013 to bring the perspectives of local and regional governments to the SDGs, climate change agenda and New Urban Agenda, in particular. As well as UCLG, Global Taskforce participants include ICLEI and C40 Cities.
United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA)
The United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) was established by the UN Habitat Governing Council Resolution 17/18 of 1999 as an advisory body to strengthen the dialogue of the UN System with local authorities in relation to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. UCLG chairs UNACLA and holds 10 of its 20 seats. UCLG co-hosts the UNACLA secretariat with UN-Habitat.[58]
