The UCLG Executive Bureau meets in San José in 2024

Under the theme Local Governments: The Power of the People, the UCLG Executive Bureau will be organised from 17-20 April in San José, with the business session and discussions taking place on the 19th, and the other statutory meetings taking place on the 18th. The Bureau will kick off the celebrations of the 20 years of union as United Cities and Local Governments. It will allow us to review our history and take stock of the situation, reflecting on the institutional reinforcement necessary to be the driving force of the Pact for the Future. Over 150 local and regional government leaders and elected officials are expected to gather in San José.

The discussions of the UCLG Executive Bureau will address issues of the international financing architecture needed to address climate challenges, ahead of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, and ten years after the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. 

A High-Level Framing session on Safeguarding the Commons will address the importance of water as a shared resource, and contribute to prepare the position of local governments before the 10th World Water Forum in Bali (18-25 May 2024), building on local experiences, with a consultation led by FLACMA taking place on 18 April to contribute to the overall UCLG global water agenda.

Local and regional governments want to profile themselves as full-fledged political actors in the international agenda related to local issues. In anticipation of the upcoming Summit of the Future, the segment on local multilateralism presents an invaluable opportunity to assess the role and impact of local and regional governments within the broader framework of the Summit’s objectives.

Taking stock of the contributions of the UN Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments, we will strive to ensure that the voices and experiences of local stakeholders are effectively integrated into the Summit’s agenda and inform the post-2030 discussions on how the global table will look like, and how to build them based around multilateral cooperation.

The Official Opening Ceremony of the Executive Bureau, which will take place on April 18, will see the President of Costa Rica address the delegation of local and regional governments gathered in San José, showcasing the importance of multilevel dialogue, and will be followed with the “Turno” festivity, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Costa Rica.

The UCLG Executive Bureau will also have an important Latin American and Caribbean component, with the meeting on “Sustainable Cities Costa Rica”, convened by the National Union of Costa Rica Local Governments (UNGL) and FLACMA, on a two-day workshop that will run on the 17th and 18th. The Confederation of Associations of Municipalities of Central America and the Caribbean (CAMCAYCA), as well as the Mayors of the Sub-Region of Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean of UCCI will meet in San José. The regional caucuses of Latin America and Europe will also meet in the framework of the Bureau.

See the full programme here: