A NEW ROOF AND A LARGER UNION: UCLG

 

UCLG
UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
WORLD ORGANIZATION

 “United voice and advocate of democratic local authorities”

 IULA (International Union of Local Authorities) and FMCU-UTO (World Federation of United Cities)) have been unified under the name “United Cities and Local Governments World Organization” after a long process starting with Habitat II Conference in 1996 in İstanbul and including METROPOLIS – World’s Association of Metropolises. 

United Cities and Local Governments, whose headquarters is located in Barcelona, has started to function in January 2004. The main objective of the organization is, “to be the united voice and global advocate of democratic local governments, and to protect their values, objectives, and interests in cooperation with local governments and international community”.

 New world organization, briefly called United Cities and Local Governments, is in a position to provide the effective representation of local governments, to promote the international cooperation among local governments and local government unions, and to be the main source of information on local governments globally.

 United Cities and Local Governments is founded on three principles:

• democracy

• local autonomy

• decentralization in the service of the citizenry

It is becoming the largest organization of cities and local governments in the world, with a membership base in over 100 countries. It offers a voice to all local governments – regardless of size or type, urban or rural – that it represents all of them and defends their interests globally. It will deal with the essential issues for the cities and their inhabitants.

United Cities and Local Governments will be the principal contact point with the United Nations in respect to local government issues.

 The major areas of work of the new organization is:

• local action for democracy, freedom and development and, in particular, the creation of a “Local Democracy Round Table”.

• cooperation for the empowerment of women at the local level

• peace through reinforcement of co-operation between the cities;

• modernization of local management methods.

The constitution, that defines the main objectives and tasks of United Cities and Local Governments and the framework of the new organization, has been put in force with consent of IULA, FMCU-UTO common steering committees. According to this,

The highest organ of United Cities and Local Governments is the General Assembly that covers all the members. World Council with 318 members, is main the decision making body where main policies are defined and, president and vice presidents are elected. Executive Bureau, with 106 members will be in charge of administrative and financial management and will assembly at least twice a year. 

United Cities and Local Governments is a truly global organization with a decentralized structure, operating in seven world regions:

• Africa

• Asia and the Pacific

• Europe

• Russia and the Newly Independent States (NIS)

• Middle East and West Asia (MEWA)

• Latin America

• North America

Each region will be represented by a defined number of representatives in World Council and Executive Bureau. Representation right and numbers are distributed within the representatives of national unions of local governments and individual cities in proportion with the populations they represent.

The managing bodies (General Assembly, World Council and Executive Bureau, President and Vice Presidents) of United Cities and Local Governments have been set by elections during the Paris Congress in May 2004.

Founding organizations of the United Cities and Local Governments

United Cities and Local Governments is the result of the unification of three organizations: the World Federation of United Cities (FMCU), the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA), and the world’s association of major metropolises (METROPOLIS):

 

World Federation of United Cities (FMCU-UTO)

In the 45 years of its existence, the FMCU has developed a strong network of over 1100 cities in more than 80 countries. It has upheld the principles of local democracy, partnership and solidarity between cities. The FMCU has developed single-issue networks and co-operation initiatives on matters of essential importance to cities, such as the environment, management of the urban environment, and social inclusion. It has put in place decentralized co-operation, and has sought financing to support the international activities and projects of its network of members.

International Union of Local Authorities (IULA)

The IULA is the oldest international local government association, with members in more than 100 countries in all regions of the world. The IULA has played an active part in the drive for decentralization and local autonomy and has worked for the adoption of the World Local Autonomy Charter. Its main courses of action have been the reinforcement of local institutions, the involvement of women in local decision-making, and local government representation in the areas of lasting development and town-planning.

METROPOLIS

Metropolis is an international association of 81 cities with more than a million inhabitants. Since 1984, it has promoted exchanges of ideas in order to offer concrete responses to the problems facing large cities: city planning, economic development, the environment, transport, etc.

 

UCLG-MEWA
UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
MIDDLE EAST AND WEAT ASIA SECTION 

IULA-EMME, that has gained a high esteem, due to its activities to improve the local governments and strengthening of democracy, first within the region East Mediterrenean and Middle East, then all though the world, since 1987, when it was established, has been functioning under the name ‘UCLG-MEWA – United Cities and Local Governments, Middle East and West Asia’ since 2004, also the FMCU-UTO members within.