A centenary full of promise

By Alain Le Saux, Secretary General of Metropolis. I discovered the international movement of cities and local authorities in June1988 when I was contracted as Scientific Director for Metropolis. The President, Michel Giraud, and the Secretary General, Pierre Pommellet, suggested I reflect on the creation of a metropolitan institute of major risk...

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Celebration of the Centenary: Contributions of UCLG-AFRICA

By Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General of UCLG-Africa I was first associated in the UCLG adventure when I held the position of Partner for Municipal Development for the Afrique de l’Ouest et Centrale (Central and West Africa) in Cotonou, Benin. At that time (around 1992/93), Africa only have one real network of local authorities, the Union...

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An ever-young centenary: the global municipal movement

By Elisabeth Gateau, Former Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Former Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments, Member of the Committee of Honour of UCLG The year 1913 was overall a rather unique time. It was, in Europe, the culmination of one world - that of the 19th Century - and the rupture...

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Memories of Local Governments’ Path To Unity and Inclusiveness

By Peter Woods - Emeritus Mayor OAM; Ambassador UCLG ASPAC; Honorary Member UCLG and UCLG ASPAC. In 1992 I became Executive Vice President of the International Union of Local Authorities Asia Pacific, 1996-2004 President of IULA ASPAC and Vice President of IULA and spent 10 years on the Board of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum until 2004....

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How Accra, Ghana, is Taking Steps to Become an African Success Story

By Alfred Vanderpuije, Mayor of Accra, Ghana / Source: IBM As Mayor of Accra and Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, I would say that there are few areas as crucial for infrastructure investment as cities. At the top of my agenda is Accra and the transformation of its existing systems and services for the benefit of its citizens...

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City, metropolis, region in the same trajectory 1913-2013

By Josep Roig. Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) 1913: In the summer of 1913, in Death Valley, temperatures of over 52°C were recorded over 10 consecutive days and on the 10th of July it reached 57°C, the highest temperature ever recorded. On the 27 of July 1913 in Ghent (Belgium) the Union Internationale des Villes (...

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Roger B. Myerson: Local foundations for stronger democracy

Nobel Prize winner Roger B. Myerson, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago will be a key speaker in the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders – 4th UCLG Congress to be held in Rabat next 1st to 4th October 2013. The following article gives an advance of the content that Myerson will present in the Introductory Plenary of the...

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Interview: 3 questions with Kadir Topbaş, Mayor of Istanbul and President of UCLG

1. What are your expectations for the Rabat 2013 World Summit? For us, 1996 (Habitat II in Istanbul) was an important milestone. This event marked the beginning of the unification process of the global movement that culminated in 2004 in the birth of UCLG becoming the unified voice of local and regional governments. In 2013 the Rabat summit also...

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Interview: Michael Dixon, General Manager Smarter Cities, IBM. Solving the challenges of fast growing cities

The progress of urban centres will soon be measured by their ability to innovate for a more efficient consumption of energy, water and other resources, i.e. their ability to maintain high levels of quality of life and sustainable development, Michael Dixon of IBM predicts. Solving the challenges of fast growing cities- interview by Gorazd...

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My reflections on the international municipal movement

By Gian Paolo Morello, Secretary General of C.I.C.U. “Comitato Italiano Città Unite”, Former Secretary General of the UTO 2001-2003  It is to Giulio Dolchi that I owe my first steps in the labyrinth of initiatives to promote and support the approach and recognition of the municipal movement before the International Community and the United Nations...

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