Mayor of The Hague Jan Van Zanen becomes President of UCLG at the UCLG World Council
29.10.2024
The UCLG World Council in The Hague closed with Mayor Jan Van Zanen receiving the mandate of President from Mayor Ugur Ibrahim Altay. With a commitment to work on the New Peace Agenda for Future Generations, Mayor Jan Van Zanen thanked Ugur Ibrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya, for his work during his tenure as president, and reiterated his willingness to ensure that local and regional governments are fundamental actors in the international stage, in particular with regards to peacebuilding, and placing the perspective of human rights and local democracy.
The business session of the World Council began with then President of UCLG Ugur Ibrahim Altay reviewing the work done as a world organization during the year. With the Summit of the Future as the key milestone, Mayor Altay highlighted the inclusion of our constituency within the Pact as the foundations for a new system of governance that reflects our current reality, & called to build bridges between our sphere of government and the international governance structure to face the challenges of the 21st century.
Executive Director of UN-Habitat Anacláudia Rossbach welcomed the UCLG World Council with a video message, highlighting the relevance of the theme of peacebuilding, & welcoming the long-standing collaboration between UCLG & UN-Habitat.
The World Council brought the voices of mayor from all over the world, including Vice Mayor of Sevilla Minerva Salas, who introduced the 4th Financing for Development Conference; Mayor Sami Kanaan of Geneva, who brought to the table the MOU in progress between the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and UCLG and the outcomes of the UNECE forum in September; and Mayor of Nancy Antoine Le Solleuz highlighted the updates of the Working Group on Territorial Cohesion & prevention of crises.
The UCLG policymaking mechanisms & their roadmaps were introduced by Special Envoys Carola Gunnarsson & Co-Chair of the UCLG Policy Council on Finance Anthony Berthelot, who linked the outcomes of the Councils with the policy milestones in 2025. Beyond this, the World Council approved the work program for 2025 and the roadmap ahead.
The last day of the Council also held a Policy Debate on the Trends that Shape the Future of Local Governance. The session began with which Mayor of Utrecht Sharon Dijksma, Professor of the Leiden University Caspar van den Berg, and UCLG Secretary General Emilia Saiz held a brief dialogue prior to the panel including the importance of identifying local solutions to global problems.
The ensuing discussion counted with the participation of Mayor of Ramallah Issa Kassis; Mayor of Alicante Luis Barcala; & Senior Advisor of the Subnational Diplomacy Unit from the US Department of State Donald Locke, who discussed the importance of working with other spheres of government, & strengthening the role of LRG networks in SDG localization.
With this, the UCLG World Council comes to an end! Stay tuned for more of our work during the year as we gear for an impactful 2025.