Executive Bureau 2021

Care at the heart of the local service provision for an inclusive recovery

On behalf of the Presidency of the World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG),we are pleased to welcome you to the UCLG Executive Bureau under the title: Care at the Heart of Local Service Provision for an Inclusive Recovery. Over the course of 3 days, the Executive Bureau will bring together over 300 mayors and councillors who will be shaping the work plan and strategic priorities of the organization.

UCLG's governing bodies decided in 2020 to work towards a new social contract centred around the SDGs which would include the important lessons that are being learned from the pandemic: a Pact for the Future around people, planet, and government where care will be at the centre and where the role of local governments in health systems will need to be redefined.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear beyond any doubt that our rights, our human interactions, and our relationship with the built environment can be strongly affected by digitalization. Whether it be through increasing issues related to the right to privacy or data collection, through the effect of teleworking on our cities and territories, or through the effect of online tools for participatory democracy on governance, the changes brought from the pandemic will have profound effects in all parts of the world, including those where the process of digitalization is still at an early phase.

Local and regional governments have been at the frontline of delivering basic services and UCLG is committed to the protection of digital rights and ensuring that the future of work and governance is one that preserves local democracy, human dignity, and sustainability. It is essential to understand digitalization well beyond just the issue of technology.

Looking towards the future, it is clear that the current multilateral system needs to further focus on this issue and that multi-stakeholder governance structures will be essential in ensuring smart cities invest in people.