The World Congress of the United Cities and Local Governments - the largest international organization for representatives of municipalities has started its work in Tanger (Morocco). The participants will discuss issues of local self-government, the future of urbanism, exchange urban practices and elect the head of the UCLG and the UCLG-Eurasia.
Representatives from Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region, and Eurasia attended the congress, including mayor and governors, heads of local government associations, and chairpersons of city councils.
Yevgeny Grachyov, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration for Domestic Policy, heads the Russian delegation. It includes representatives from two Russian regions, 54 cities, and two associations, as many as 81 people. Among them is Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, the head of the UCLG Eurasia section.
The participants will take stock of the past years, elect a new World Council, and approve a work plan for the next three years. Mayors and city council chairpersons can be elected in the World Council every three years. It includes representatives from each regional section. The UCLG-Eurasia section includes 36 members, including 26 from Russia.
The agenda also includes the election of the head of the Eurasia section, as well as a working session of Association of the BRICS+ Cities and Municipalities. Ilsur Metshin will speak on “Inclusion as a Norm”, which focuses on the implementation of inclusive standards in the life of a modern metropolis.