Local government association members of the Global Taskforce met in Barcelona from 9-10 February to define their joint action in the run up to the Habitat III Conference in Quito.
The first day saw discussions on the Local Authority Hearings of Habitat III and the preparation of the First Session of the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, both to be held in New York in May. All networks committed to sending delegations to the hearings and the Taskforce agreed to publish a position paper setting out key policy recommendations from the constituency in the following weeks.
There were also updates on the COP21 outcomes, local government participation in the UN Assembly on Environment (UNEA) and the implementation of the SDGs at local level.
Joint meeting with Habitat III Policy Unit 4
On day two, the Global Taskforce was joined by experts from the Habitat III Policy Unit on Urban Governance, Capacity and Institutional Development, which is co-led by UCLG in close coordination with the GTF and the Cities programme of the London School of Economics.
The meeting was an opportunity for members of the Global Taskforce to share their views on the Policy Unit’s recently published Draft Policy Unit Framework and to contribute local government perspectives on the right to the city, participation, multi-level and metropolitan governance and capacity building.
The Global Taskforce remains committed to supporting the participation of local and regional governments in the development of the New Urban Agenda, which will culminate in the Habitat III Conference in Quito.
Representatives of the GTF will participate in the Habitat III Regional Meetings for Africa, Latin America and Europe, as well as in the Thematic Conference on Local Financing to be held in Mexico.
Catch up on the social media conversation during the meetings in this Storify.
Check out the photos on Flickr.
