The Role of Local Governements: Leadership in Sustainability

Organized in cooperation with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
(FCM), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and their networks.

Municipalities around the globe are looking for new and innovative ways to achieve sustainability. This session, open to all delegates, will focus on the local government experience and leadership in reaching sustainability. Decentralization is the starting point for local leadership and will be one of the key areas of discussion, in addition to access to basic services and local finance and authority. The panelists will participate in an exchange on the key themes of the session, followed by a period of questions and commentary from the floor.

Co-chairs:

• Wim Deetman, Mayor of The Hague, the Netherlands; President, Association of Netherlands Municipalities
• Enrique Riera Escudero, Mayor of Asunción, Paraguay

Moderator:

• Elisabeth Gateau, UCLG General Secretary, Spain

Remarks:

• Anna Tibaijuka, Under Secretary-General, United Nations; Executive Director, UN-HABITAT, Kenya

Panelists:

• Kadir Topbas, Vice President, UCLG; Mayor of Istanbul, Turkey
• Simon Compaore, President of the Association des Maires du Burkina Faso; Mayor of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
• Abbès Mohsen, President of the Fédération Nationale des Villes Tunisiennes; Mayor of Tunis, Tunisia
• Lu Bing, Deputy Mayor, City of Nanjing, China
• João Avamileno, Executive Secretary of Mercociudades; Mayor of Santo André, Brazil
• David Bronconnier, Mayor of Calgary, Canada