UCLG Retreat 2024

All participants.

Special focus on the networks of the Global Taskforce.

The Global Taskforce Day will be looking at the organized constituency's joint work programme and the international agenda of 2024, building on the SDG Rescue plan and the work presented around coalitions during the SDG Summit.

▶️ General concept note of the Global Taskforce Day (External link)

💻 To follow today's sessions via Zoom, please click here! (External link)

Closed-door meeting - by invitation only

Members of the GTF are invited to attend all sessions. The Annual Meeting of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments will be looking at the GTF’s joint work program and the international agenda of 2024. This annual meeting will focus on reviewing the achievements of the past years, assessing priorities and exploring upcoming milestones.

➢ Renewing the multilateral system

➢ Priorities for 2024

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Turkish

This segment will set the stage for the discussions recalling 2023 and the SDG Rescue Plan whereby the constituency presented multi-stakeholder localization commitments and high-impact coalitions to achieve the 2030 Agenda at the SDG Summit. This framing will take into account the next milestones for the year including the UN’s Summit of the Future and the work of the Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments, particularly its upcoming Deliverable 2 on institutional mechanism for local and regional government engagement in the UN and Deliverable 3 on a policy brief to strengthen cooperation between national and local and regional governments and the UN Country Teams.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Russian

- Global Taskforce Business Session
- High-Impact Coalitions for Local Resilience

Achieving ecological transformation and adapting to climate change will be high on the agenda for 2024. This segment will be devoted to the constituency’s priorities related to ecological transformation and within the framework of the LGMA as well as concrete initiatives and milestones to take into account. A special focus will be placed on SDG 13 and a special call for the constituency to accelerate its implementation.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Russian

Lunch will be served at the hotel for all participants.

- Global Taskforce Business Session
- High-Impact Coalitions for Local Caring Systems

This segment will cover the most important milestones for 2024 related to equality and human rights, including following up on Our Common Agenda’s targets related to poverty, the food systems agenda with a particular emphasis on ending hunger, the CSW, and the human mobility agenda, among others. A special focus will be placed on SDG 1 and SDG 2 and a special call for the constituency to accelerate their implementation.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese

- Global Taskforce Business Session
- High-Impact Coalitions to localize Finance and safeguard Democracy
- UN Secretary General Advisory Group on local and regional governments

This segment will cover the most important milestones for 2024 related to renewing multilateralism, and include a meeting on the Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments. Special emphasis will be placed on the work of the Advisory Group towards the UN’s Pact for the Future, its Deliverable 2 related to institutional mechanisms to enhance the representation of local and regional governments in the UN system and its upcoming Deliverable 3, a policy brief to strengthen cooperation between national and local and regional governments, and UN Country Teams.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese

- Global Taskforce Business Session

- High-Impact Coalitions for Local Caring Systems

This segment will cover the most important milestones for 2024 related to the peace agenda, ahead of the review of SDG16 in the framework of the 2024 High-Level Political Forum and a special call for the constituency to accelerate its implementation. A focus will be placed on the road towards the New Agenda for Peace and the role of local governments in its implementation ahead of the Summit for the Future.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese

Come and breathe in the outcomes of the debates held throughout the day! Our stocktaking plenary will allow participants to gather their thoughts about the meetings and think ahead.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese

Reception at Barcelona City Hall

The address of the Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza is: Plaça d'Espanya, 8.

The address of Barcelona City Hall is: Plaça de Sant Jaume, 1. It is located at the heart of the Gòtic district. Access to the building will be granted from the main entrance, located on the Plaça Sant Jaume itself.

Please make sure to bring an identification document with you, in case it is needed at the security checkpoint.

1. Metro

The closest metro station from the Hotel is Espanya. There is an access to the metro right outside the hotel.

Take Line 3 (green), direction Trinitat Nova, until Liceu (only 4 stops from Espanya).

From there, the walk to the City Hall is 7 minutes: go down the Rambla, turn left on Carrer Ferran and continue straight ahead until you get to Plaça Sant Jaume.

2. Taxi

Taxis are an easy and safe way to move around Barcelona, and most of them accept payment by card.

- You can download the FREE NOW application, which will allow you to book a taxi in advance or find one close to where you are in real time. You can create an account and pay directly via the app, or on the spot.

- You can call RADIO TAXI to book a taxi in advance or on the spot: +34 933 033 033.

- Or you can ask for a taxi at the reception of your hotel.

All participants.

Special focus on the UCLG network and the Global Taskforce.

Day 3 of the 2024 UCLG Annual Retreat is dedicated to showcasing, sharing and interacting among the ecosystem of local and regional governments and their partners. We will put forth all the current and planned contributions to the Pact for the Future, which give the network its strength and constitute the backbone and structure of the Factory of the Future. Diverse sceneries and session formats will allow for participants to select the most fitting opportunity to hear about or present their own initiatives, such as through a Policy Lab, a Market Place, a Plenary Session and an Interactive Dialogue.

We welcome you to Day 3 to zoom into the core of the work of our ecosystem and to discuss and tackle localization trends as well as the New Agenda for Peace.

▶️ General concept note of the "Factory of the Future" Day (External link)

💻 To follow today's sessions via Zoom, please click here!  (External link)

Dialogue, knowledge and action for dignity

Among its seven fundamental principles, the Lampedusa Charter states that “It is not the migratory process that defines the vulnerabilities, but the discriminations and human rights violations that certain groups of the population endure across the journey”. This encompasses the dignified treatment of the people whose migratory endeavors fail or end in tragedy - including deaths, disappearance of migrants and the mourning processes of their families.

In this framework, and under the leadership of the Municipality of Lampedusa, the first Human Mobility Policy Lab will bring together actors from different levels of government and different spheres of civil society, international organizations, academia and associations of migrants and their families to discuss concrete ways to address the challenges linked to the dignified treatment of people and their families in the context of failed migratory journeys.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian

Sharing ongoing initiatives

UCLG Sections, Committees, Global Taskforce members and partner organizations

The Factory of the Future is a space to engage our membership and partners, to connect their actions, co-create and construct ways to unfold the Pact for the Future. Through interactive workshops, participants will exchange their views, envision innovative solutions and build concrete collective actions to deliver on the agenda of UCLG.

This workshop will present how different parts of the network and partners are developing actions and products for the future: local policies, alliances and initiatives that aim to accomplish and are implementing the Pact for the Future principles, caring for the future of People, Planet and Government.

The session will have a format of a Marketplace as an interactive space for “speed dating” sessions with the aim of sharing practices, initiatives and tools developed by different parts of the network and partners that contribute to the implementation of Pact for the Future. The setup is to ensure information flow is demand-driven. Participants will get to know the different “products” and fill their basket with initiatives that are most interesting for them, while the providers share and promote their cases interactively to the groups. We welcome in particular programs that look for networking and partnership, such as awards, projects, events, online offers & platforms.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish

Lunch will be served at the hotel for all participants.

UCLG Sections, Committees, and partner organizations

This session will put a magnifying glass on localization trends that have to be taken into account on the road towards the achievement of the SDGs. From longstanding localization trends such as addressing informalities, protecting nature and providing local public services to emerging trends such as care, artificial intelligence and heating cities, emphasis will be placed on guaranteeing these are included in the constituency's work and advocacy efforts.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish

UCLG Sections, Committees, and partner organizations

The session will build on the UCLG Future Envisioning Exercise on the Building Blocks for Peace to bring about a conversation about the New Agenda for Peace, the UN Pact for the Future chapter 2, and how local and regional governments are key leaders to unfold some of the key features contained in this new global framework for peace. By identifying these local building blocks of the New Agenda for Peace, the discussion will allow to connect local governments with partners, to explore how local transformative action is at the center of bringing about peace globally.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Italian

Come and breathe in the outcomes of the debates held throughout the day! Our stocktaking plenary will allow participants to gather their thoughts about the meetings and think ahead.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Italian

All participants.

Special focus on the UCLG Network.

The key objectives of the day are to firstly, introduce the UCLG Facilities as the new instrument of the network to strengthen joint action. Secondly, to map, through each of the sessions dedicated to the three pilot facilities, the different initiatives through which the network is contributing to each one of them. And thirdly, to start the conversation about how different key partners can contribute to this joint endeavour.

▶️ General concept note of the "UCLG Facilities" Day (External link)

💻 To follow today's sessions via Zoom, please click here!  (External link)

Scaling and deepening work

The UCLG Facilities are an instrument to trigger change, based on funneling and strengthening the network’s efforts to forefront key political agendas as levers to re-shape development action. The Facilities bring together UCLG leadership, partners, coalitions, and work teams of the Organization. Three pilot Facilities will be kicked-off at the 2024 UCLG Retreat: the Local4Action, Women and Caring Systems Facilities. This session will seek to launch the UCLG Facilities, bringing attendees on board with their characteristics and objectives. Moreover, the session will seek to motivate different parts of the network and key partners to reflect on how their work contributes to the three pilot Facilites. In turn, strengthening synergies and accelerating the action of the networked constituency.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Chinese

In an era of global shocks, the Local4Action Facility is the natural evolution of UCLG’s political mandate and the frontrunner role embodied by our members to localize the global development agendas within the framework of the SDGs. The Local4Action Facility mainstreams the narrative of the Power of We to regenerate hope and catalyze action, fostering partnerships and promoting multilevel coordination to unlock enabling governance frameworks and financial environments that foster the understanding of all the global development agendas as multi-level, whole-of-government, and whole-of-society, creating an ecosystem of transformative local actions that, put together, elevate the vision, action, and political leadership of our members and amplify their impact towards the change we need to activate.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian

UCLG carries the proud legacy of our equality driven movement: from the establishment of our Standing Committee on Gender Equality, to nurturing a bold Global Feminist Municipal Movement, and a Pact for the Future that puts care, equity and solidarity at the center.

The recent global crises have highlighted the critical role of women elected leaders in advancing inclusive and rights-based agendas. Yet today we are seeing increased backsliding on women’s rights and gender-based violence, in particular against women in decision-making. What are the key entry-points to accelerating women’s meaningful and safe participation in political and public life? The UCLG-Women Facility will take a whole-of-society and whole-of-network approach, collectively joining efforts to tackle the old, new and systemic challenges of inequality and discrimination, with women’s and feminist leadership as an essential lever for change.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Chinese

Lunch will be served at the hotel for all participants.

The UCLG Caring Systems Facility funnels and strengthens the network's efforts to advance a renewed understanding of care. Forefronting how populations’ care needs have changed, the Facility proposes a change in the scale of discussions around care: understanding that renewing the social contract to improve justice and sustainability in urban life requires adopting a city- and region-wide scale. And whereby local and regional governments play a central role in promoting a systemic change by responding with their actions to a key question: if care is put at the center of local public action and urban life, what would change?

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Chinese

▶️ Concept note of the session (External link)

Come and breathe in the outcomes of the debates held throughout the day! Our stocktaking plenary will allow participants to gather their thoughts about the meetings and think ahead.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish, Chinese

All participants.

Special focus on the UCLG network.

The last day of the UCLG Retreat is all about the Power of We, the power that unites the entire network. Throughout the morning, the Sections, Committees, Working Groups and other mechanisms of UCLG will take stock and relay their priorities, going from the agenda-setting of the week and towards ensuring that the priorities of the network are heard and amplified.

▶️ General concept note of the "Power of We" Day (External link)

💻 To follow today's sessions via Zoom, please click here!  (External link)

Reviewing the roles and and tools of the different parts of the network

The Power of We is the power of local and regional governments to act together for the transformation that our societies and planet require. The session will bring together all the nodes of the network ( the UCLG Sections, Committees, Working Groups and other mechanisms) to discuss how they work in a networked manner, and how to work transversally to ensure that the agenda of the World Organization reaches all corners.

💬 Interpretation : English, French, Spanish