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The process to elaborate the new Agenda 21 for culture was initiated by the Committee on Culture in 2013 through subsequent debates in Lille-Métropole, Buenos Aires and Rabat, and will continue in 2014, with meetings, seminars, articles, questionnaires and visits to pilot cities.

The 2014 UCLG World Council will be held in Haikou at the kind invitation of Mayor Ni Qiang, in conjunction with the Guangzhou Award. The Statutory Meetings to be held include the celebration of the Executive Bureau and World Council, 24-26 November in Haikou. The programme also contains Learning Events related to the Second Edition of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, 27-28 November in Guangzhou.

In Argentina, like in many countries in Latin America, medium-sized cities have suffered sustained demographic growth accompanied by disorganized processes of urbanization. The Government of the Province of Santa Fe took this as a challenge. As part of its Provincial Strategic Plan.

Between last July 28 and 30, a delegation composed of political representatives and technicians of the eTthekwini Municipality, as well as of representatives from the academia and civil society of Durban, visited the Housing Secretariat of the City of São Paulo (SEHAB).

The 2nd Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation (hereinafter referred to as “Guangzhou Award”), the 2014 China International Friendship Cities Conference and the 2nd Guangzhou International Urban Innovation Conference are scheduled.

UCLG-MEWA and Cités Unies France (CUF) will organize a side event meeting for Franco-Turkish decentralized cooperation on the UCLG-MEWA premises within the framework of the Vivapolis Symposium, to be held in Istanbul on 23-24 September 2014. This symposium aims to present expertise in sustainable cities. The meeting is organized by UBIFRANCE.

In one of many initiatives of the AL-LAS Project to encourage decentralised international cooperation, notably between Latin American and European cities, a technical visit proved a positve step forward for several local government representatives in ensuring cooperation between their cities.

While 72 % of the total EU population live in cities, towns and suburbs, this proportion is likely to reach more than 80% by 2050, giving rise to numerous social, environmental and democratic challenges. In this context, the European Commission is planning to strengthen the urban dimension of its policies by introducing a European Urban Agenda.

UCLG and its members are advocating for Sustainable Development Goals that take local and regional priorities into account, in particular in the light of rapid urbanization faced in many regions of the world. The Campaign for an Urban SDG was launched because the dynamism of cities represents a major sustainable development opportunity and a dedicated and stand-alone urban SDG is essential.