UCLG World Council and Executive Bureau
Hosted by the city of Guangzhou, the UCLG World Council took place online last 11-13 November 2020. It was a full week of meetings, coinciding with the first anniversary of the UCLG elections held last year in Durban.
There were Policy Debates during each session dedicated to the critical issues identified by the UCLG Decalogue as critical to a Post-COVID world, namely: addressing inequalities, green recovery and financing public service provision.
The UCLG World Council was formally opened on 12 November in an Opening Ceremony with over 280 participants with the performance of the Guangzhou Youth Choir, in a session that gathered UCLG President and Mayor of Al-Hoceima Dr. Mohamed Boudra, Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Liu Qibao; President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) Lin Songtia, and Wen Guohui, Mayor of Guangzhou.
"The exceptional situation we have been experiencing for several months has changed the way we work, but has also demonstrated the resilience of our territories, and the key role we must play in continuing to protect our communities and provide essential services, particularly to the most vulnerable”, said Mr. Boudra.
“The pandemic once again shows us that the world is a community with a shared future. Guangzhou has always been committed to promoting innovation, governance improvement, and cooperation among cities so they can contribute to this shared future”. Wen Guohui, Mayor of Guangzhou.
The Opening was followed by a Policy Debate on Addressing Inequalities, key in the COVID era, which introduced the upcoming GOLD VI Report. Director General of the IOM Antonio Vitorino, Qu Dongyu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ms Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat framed the debate.
Madrid City Council has been represented by the Deputy Director of Internationalization, Juan Carlos de Castro Pita, who participated in “High-level Policy Dialogues: Ecological Transition” session.
