On the 4th of December 2012 and in the framework of the VI Africities Summit to be celebrated in Dakar, leaders and representatives of regions throughout the world will come together to define their role in the international political agenda.
This meeting, organized jointly by UCLGand ORU-FOGAR, constitutes an important step in the strengthening of ties between both institutions and will aim to layout the roadmap of regional governments, with particular focus on followingRio+20, the negotiating process of the Millennium Development Goals (Post 2015) and the Habitat III Summit.
UCLG and ORU-FOGAR have for some time been working to strengthen their collaboration in order to reinforce local and regional representation before the international community. The essence of this union and common work agenda comes from the specific nature of our institutions that represent the territories and citizens who, directly or indirectly, compose them.
In view of this and according to the Presidents of both organizations,“development of a territory cannot exclusively be considered at State and national government level,” and this, as they explain, “is the motive for which it is essential that local and regional elected representatives work jointly in the interest of sharing and redefining their priorities.” For Kadir Topbas, President of UCLG and for Michel Vauzelle, President of ORU-FOGAR,“balanced development of a territory can almost never be exclusively urban or exclusively rural,” as such, “the alliance between these organizations is an essential step in obtaining greater influence in the international development agenda”.
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