Copenhagen - Hub of local governments in first week of June 2009

The city of Copenhagen, Denmark, will experience a hive of local government activities from 1 – 4 June 2009, with representatives of local governments converging for the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit and the Meeting of the Water Committee. Both events will run parallel to the Meeting of the Executive Bureau of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) scheduled for the same period.

Meeting of the Water Committee – 1 June 2009  

 The meeting is convened as part of follow-up activities of the 5th World Water Forum (WWF5) and the Istanbul Water Consensus. It takes place at Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel. 

As part of the proceedings of WWF5, UCLG in partnership with ICLEI and the World Water Council, organized the Local and Regional Authorities Days in Istanbul from 18 – 19 March 2009. The event was attended by more than 250 mayors and local and regional officials from 43 countries.

A key moment over the two days was the adoption of the Istanbul Water Consensus (IWC). The IWC is a political declaration that was presented on 30 November 2008 during the UCLG World Council in Istanbul, which represents a commitment and a call to action for local and regional authorities. 

Please click here to read the Istanbul Water Consensus

Mr. Kadir Topbas, the Mayor of Istanbul and Co-president of UCLG, who launched this initiative, on this occasion asked UCLG to take on the task of disseminating and implementing the Consensus, in particular through the UCLG Water Committee. This meeting is therefore held in keeping with the Mayor of Istanbul’s commitment along with the requests of some of UCLG’s members.

Please click here to access the Brief report on the Local and Regional Authorities Days during the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul

For any enquiry, kindly write to: info@cities-localgovernments.org

Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit – 2-4 June 2009

This Summit is hosted by the Association of Local Authorities of Denmark (LGDK) at Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. The three-day event is a clear manifestation of the growing commitment and responsibilities of local governments to action on Climate Change. However, local authorities must be accorded a clear role in international policy development on climate change in order to achieve an effective Post-Kyoto Treaty and meet the needs of local communities

At global level, UCLG has embarked on a joint initiative with other regional and thematic networks of local authorities aiming at maximizing the voice of local governments in the international climate debate that will shape the Post-Kyoto treaty.

At Africa level, UCLGA, in partnership with ICLEI Africa, is leading a process aimed at encouraging and actively supporting local governments to define their own strategies and concrete plans for addressing the challenges posed by climate change and invest in ‘climate proofing” their local communities. To this end, the UCLGA has conducted, in Lilongwe, Malawi in April 2009, a learning platform for national associations of local government covering the basic concepts as well as commencing the process of engaging local governments in the climate change debate and action.

The Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit provides an opportunity to local governments for the consolidation of their united position on Climate Change and to send a strong message to national governments and the international community in view of the UNFCCC negotiations in Copenhagen in December this year.

For more information, visit the Summit’s website: www.kl.dk/localclimatesummit

For any enquiry on the UCLGA’s Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Project, kindly write to: info@uclgafrica.org

Additional information made available by the UCLG World Secretariat