Around 500 representatives of local and regional authorities, and their partners - international institutions and some national representatives - visited Guangzhou (China) between 10 and 13 November 2009 for the meetings of the Executive Bureau and the World Council of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).A total of 30 meetings took place, including the sessions involving the majority of the 18 UCLG Committees and Working Groups. The meetings of the Executive Bureau and World Council were chaired by the President of UCLG, Bertrand Delanöe, the Mayor of Paris, and by the organisation´s Co-presidents, Amos Masondo, the Mayor of Johannesburg, and Kadir Topbas, the Mayor of Istanbul.
The members of the World Council elected the new Mayor of Quito, Augusto Barrera, as Co-president of the UCLG, and accepted the invitation from the Mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, to host the meeting of the UCLG Executive Bureau in that city in April 2010. Chicago will be the venue for the coming statutory meetings of the world organisation. 2010 will also see the next UCLG World Congress, which will be held in Mexico City from 16 to 20 November.