United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is an umbrella organisation for cities, local governments and municipal associations throughout the world. United Cities and Local Governments was founded in 2004, when the existing local government organisations - the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA), the United Towns Organisations (UTO) and Metropolis – united their respective global networks of cities and national associations of local governments in a single organisation.(FCMU). United Cities and Local Governments' headquarters, the World Secretariat, is based in Barcelona, Spain. UCLG is the largest local government organisation in the world and understands itself as the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, de facto representing over half the world's population, the cities and association members of UCLG are present in over 120 UN Member States across seven world regions:
Africa (UCLGAfrica), Asia-Pacific (UCLG-ASPAC), Europe (CEMR), Eurasia (UCLG EuroAsia), Middle East and West Asia (UCLG MEWA), Latin America (FLACMA),and North America (UCLG North America). UCLG has also a dedicated "regional" Section for large metropolitan Areas, Metropolis.
Over 1.000 cities are direct members of United Cities and Local Governments, as well as 112 national associations which represent all the cities and local governments in their respective countries. Members vary, from small cities to national local governments associations and regional associations.
On May 8th 2004, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) adopted the Agenda 21 for culture as a reference document for its programmes on culture and assumed the role of coordinator of the process subsequent to its approval.
Its President since November 2010 is Mayor Kadir Topbaş (Istanbul). He replaces Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (Paris). Accompanying the Mayor of Istanbul, as Co Presidents are Antonio Costa of Lisbon, Portugal; Johnny Araya of San Jose de Costa Rica; Wan Qingliang of Guangzhou, China; Muchadeyi Masunda of Harare, Zimbabwe; and Ilsur Metsin of Kazan, Russian Federation. Ted Ellis, Mayor of Bluffton Indiana USA is the Treasurer.
The city of Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco will host the next world congress of UCLG in 2013.
Read more about United Cities And Local Governments: Committees and Working Groups, External Links
Famous quotes containing the words united, cities, local and/or governments:
“Europe and the U.K. are yesterday’s world. Tomorrow is in the United States.”
—R.W. “Tiny” Rowland (b. 1917)
“Beyond the horizon, or even the knowledge, of the cities along the coast, a great, creative impulse is at work—the only thing, after all, that gives this continent meaning and a guarantee of the future. Every Australian ought to climb up here, once in a way, and glimpse the various, manifold life of which he is a part.”
—Vance Palmer (1885–1959)
“The difference between de jure and de facto segregation is the difference open, forthright bigotry and the shamefaced kind that works through unwritten agreements between real estate dealers, school officials, and local politicians.”
—Shirley Chisholm (b. 1924)
“Nobody thinks in terms of “human beings.” Governments don’t, why should we? They talk about people and the proletariat; I talk about the suckers and the mugs. It’s the same thing.”
—Graham Greene (1904–1991)