In view of the increasing situations in which the integrity of local government and its representatives are undermined around the world and in which the fulfilment of the duties of local and regional governments is becoming increasingly difficult and continuously challenged:
We call on national governments all over the world and the international community to pay particular attention to the protection of the rights of local and regional elected officials and leaders of local and regional governments in the performance of their duties, and to ensure that contexts of fragility do not undermine local democracy.
Local and regional governments gathered in Durban at the UCLG Congress acknowledge and pay tribute to their colleagues and former members of the UCLG Governing Bodies Iván Arciénaga, former mayor of Sucre and former Vice President of UCLG for Latin America; and Paola Pabón, Prefect of Pichincha, and further acknowledge and join the motion of support from our colleagues of UCLG-Africa to Adama Sangare, Mayor of the District of Bamako.