The countdown starts today! In just 100 days the international municipal movement will celebrate its first centenary. The UCLG World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders in Rabat, taking place in the Moroccan capital from the 1st to the 4th October 2013, will be the largest gathering of local and regional elected representatives from all over the world, with over 3000 participants from all over the globe. The forthcoming Congress in Rabat will therefore be a fitting moment to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the international municipal movement.
The movement begins in Gand (Belgium) in 1913 with the creation of Union Internationale des Villes (later named the International Union of Local Authorities in English). United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) became the direct inheritor of this movement when, in 2004, it was created as the result of a fusion of three key organizations of the international municipal movement, most notably: International Union of Local Authorities, United Town Organisation (FMCU-UTO) and Metropolis. Understanding the historical perspective of local and regional authorities is essential to understanding the objectives and the essential role they play in the global political agenda today.
Given that this year’s Congress coincides with the centennial celebration of the international municipal movement, UCLG is calling upon all its partners, members and the general public to participate in this exceptional event by sharing interesting material and testimonies linked to this topic. All these elements will be brought together and compiled for presentation before participants at the Congress.
The Centenary is just one of the many ways in which the Congress in Rabat will be participative. The Congress website is open for comment, from the blog (featuring posts from experts linked to the topics of the Congress), to each of the news and press release items.
Furthermore, the four key topics featured on the Congress programme will be freely open for discussion prior to the event through social networks. As from September, the issues that will be addressed during the Congress will be opened to the public, topics such as: fostering wellbeing, strengthening solidarity among territories, supporting new local governance and diversity. These online debates will be the reference for the physical debates that will take place in Rabat from the 1st to the 4th October.
Follow UCLG activities and Congress updates on Twitter @uclg_org and #Rabat2013, and on Facebook and Linkedin.
News on the Centenary can be found on this section of the Congress website and through the hash tag #UCLG100.
To benefit from the early bird registration fee, click here.
Source: UCLG