THE POWER THAT UNITES US

THE 2024 UCLG RETREAT KICKS OFF ACTING FOR THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY

With the title “The Power that Unites Us,” the Opening Plenary marked the beginning of this year’s Retreat. UCLG’s president, Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya in Türkiye, took the floor to start this intense week. He pointed out the world’s pain and the power of SDGs localisation. “In 2024, we have to put our interest towards local mechanisms. […] We can’t meet goals if we don’t collaborate, so here is our platform.” He also explained the importance of 2024 as a super-election year where mayors and members of local and regional governments will have to maintain and foster transparency, multilateralism and innovation. “A mayor is always a mayor, “ he concluded with a nod to Ms Maimunah Mohd Sharif, enabling UCLG members to understand local contexts while strengthening global actions and claiming a seat at the international table. 

In his address, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Policy, Guy Ryder, emphasised the critical role of local and regional governments in shaping a more inclusive multilateral system. He stressed the need for collective action to address global challenges and integrate local perspectives into decision-making processes. Ryder also highlighted the work of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Group as critical to the Pact for the Future and reinforced the role of local and regional governments towards the Summit for the Future and beyond.

Following him was Maimunah Mohd Sharif herself, who until recently was UN-Habitat’s Executive Director. She was awarded the “honorary member” status at UCLG and expressed her gratitude for this recognition. “I never forget the key principle in good town planning: We must never play God and change our tune with the time. Instead, we must be broad-minded, consider the local context, think locally, and act globally. Before, UCLG thought globally and acted locally, but now it is the reverse.” Considering that 64 per cent of the targets of the SDGs will be met in cities and 70 per cent of the global population will live in cities in 2050, she emphasised the importance of working together and expressed her readiness to support UCLG. 

A view of the United States came from Nina Hachigian, US Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy to the UN, who shared that more and more cities in the US have a more profound international outlook, which has not always been the case historically. She presented the Cities Summit of the Americas, which took place in April 2023, gathering local and regional governments around the world, and stressed the importance of mayors as stewards of service but also of values.

Marlene Holzner, head of Unit D2 for local authorities and civil society for the European Commission, brought a European perspective in the face of multiple crises, weakening multilateralism, and tight financial budgets. With the Global Gateway Strategy, the EU aims to support local people and communities better worldwide. By consulting and implementing projects in and with communities locally in Brussels and internationally, the EU shows how we must work together, harnessing “The Power of We” to tackle our future challenges. “When we discuss big corridors linking different cities and countries, it is not only the road we are interested in, but also the economic development in the region, working with local authorities and local communities.” 

A view of Brazil, the host of this year’s G20 and the accompanying Urban20 showed that the country and its Ministry of Cities are back. Antonio da Costa Silva, the Chief International advisor of the Ministry of Cities in Brazil, underscored that “there is no urban justice without local justice; there is no sustainable development without urban sustainability; there is no resilience without urban resilience; there are no human rights without the right to the city.” He made clear that the Brazilian government and the Ministry of Cities are key partners for UCLG, particularly in view of the fact that 85 per cent of the population in the country lives in cities: “We strongly believe that we need to make local voices heard. We are listening.” 

With the Summit of the Future as one of the year’s critical milestones for the constituency of local and regional governments, Michèle Griffin from the organising committee and part of the Our Common Agenda Policy Group shared some ideas for enshrining a much more inclusive network of multilateralism. “Global governance is more important than ever, frankly existentially important to our survival and the survival of our planet. It will be a springboard to a different kind of future.”

THE DEBATE