4th WeGO General Assembly
The General Assembly of the World e-Governments Organization of Cities and Local Governments (WeGO) is the organization’s triennial flagship conference accompanied by numerous smart city-related side events.
300+ mayors, chief information officers, and public officers of cities and local governments, as well as international organizations, academia, and IT companies, will gather from all over the world to participate in the 4th WeGO General Assembly in Ulyanovsk Region, Russia from June 27-30, 2017.
This major event will consist of General Assembly and Executive Committee Meeting sessions that will cover key WeGO agenda; World Mayors Roundtable; World CIO Forum; City Digital Solutions Forum; thematic workshops on e-Government and Smart City issues; matchmaking meetings to connect participants; exhibitions; and gala dinners and tours.
Interested participants should visit wego2017.org
UCLG Executive Bureau
The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Executive Bureau will be held on 18-19 April in Madrid, Spain, under the invitation of the Mayor of the city, Manuela Carmena.
The 2017 Executive Bureau will be held back-to-back with the World Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Coexistence and Peace, taking place on 19-21 April, organized by the cities of Madrid, Paris and Barcelona, UCLG, UCCI, AIPAZ and UN Agencies.
The City Councils of Madrid and Paris propose that a summit meeting be celebrated in Madrid, the International Forum against Violence and for Peace Education, in order to start the process that will bring together local leaders, and personalities stemming from civil society and great thinkers. At the present stage cities and local governments have the duty, the responsibility, to work for Peace, to stop considering violence as a means of conflict resolution and to encourage education for Peace as an instrument of coexistence and future welfare.
Resolution of the World Council of United Cities and local Governments on 4th December 2015
The Executive Bureau of UCLG is responsible for initiating proposals and carrying out the decisions of the World Council. It is in charge of the World Organisation’s administrative and financial management. Composed of 115 members, it meets twice a year and usually gathers around 200 participants.
Policy discussions will be held on Tuesday 18 April at the invitation of FEMP, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.
The meetings of the Committee on Statutory Affairs and Financial Management Committee will also take place at the FEMP Headquarters.
The meeting of the Executive Bureau will take place on Wednesday 19 April at La Nave Exhibition Centre.
There is limited space for Committee and Working Group meetings on 17 and 18 April. A definite programme will be sent to you soon.
Note: The UCLG Executive Bureau meetings are closed meetings. Members of UCLG are welcome to contact the World Secretariat for additional information through the following email address: UCLGExBu@uclg.org
APPLY FOR THE 3rd WeGO SMART SUSTAINABLE CITY AWARDS 2017
Our partner, the World e-Governments Organization of Cities and Local Governments (WeGO) has recently launched the 3rd edition of the WeGO Smart Sustainable City Awards.
The 3rd WeGO Smart Sustainable City Awards is an international competition that recognizes cities' excellence in ICT, e-Governance, and smart city solutions for the ultimate goal of urban sustainability.
Through this regular international competition, the WeGO Smart Sustainable City Awards aims to encourage the incorporation of innovative ICT for the enhancement of administrative efficiency; increase citizens’ access to public services; and share knowledge on Smart City strategies actively.
Winners of this popular competition will be recognized in front of a high profile international audience during the 4th WeGO General Assembly in Ulyanovsk Region, Russia. Interested cities should apply for the Awards until April 30, 2017.
Please visit the 3rd WeGO Smart Sustainable City Awards Website to learn more about the Awards and to apply, or contact the WeGO Secretariat at secretariat@we-gov.org
The Committee collaborates again with the Uraía Platform in the elaboration of the publication on SMART technologies and municipal finances
The latest Uraía publication with the title: "The impact of SMART technologies in the municipal budget: increase revenue and reduce expenses for better public services” is the result of the discussions during the workshop in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The Guidelines analyze trends and opportunities regarding existing technological solutions, available to cities today, and also risks, challenges and lessons learned. Each chapter comprises city case studies, as well as interviews with key actors, and concludes with recommendations about the elements that enable the success of SMART initiatives.
Topics addressed in each chapter include:
Chapter 1 – Digital government. SMART solutions to: a) optimize municipal management such as management platforms and online services to citizens; b) encourage smarter payment systems such as e-procurement and Mobile money; and c) increase revenue through better tax collection and administration as well as local economic development promotion.
Chapter 2 - Transparency and citizen participation. SMART solutions that may strengthen the trust of citizens in the local government, and on the long run, lead to an increase in tax revenues; as well as other tools that may help fight corruption and fraud and reduce financial losses due to the misuse of resources.
Chapter 3 – Energy efficiency of municipal assets. SMART technologies applied to energy management in cities, and to reduce the municipal energy bill. It covers topics such as street lighting, building efficiency and SMART grid technologies.
Chapter 4 – Efficiency of public services and infrastructure. SMART solutions to improve cost-efficiency in the management of three main municipal services: transportation, waste and water. Initiatives such as SMART parking, SMART cards, intelligent waste collection, and sensors network to detect water leakages are addressed and have proved to generate savings for local governments around the world.
The publication is available to download in English HERE. French and Spanish versions will be out soon!
Uraia 2017 workshop - Transparency and accountability
The Committee collaborates again in the organization of the Uraia´s annual workshop.
In 2017, Uraía will organize its annual "Citizenship Series" in Madrid, on February 8 - 10th, in partnership with the Spanish Federation of Municipalities (FEMP), on "Transparent and accountable cities: innovative solutions for municipal management and finance."
Goals. The objective of the workshop is to present and exchange experiences on initiatives developed by local governments and their partners to implement mechanisms for transparency, accountability and open government in cities. The workshop will explore how municipalities can profit from the advantages of innovation and technology to prevent corruption and mismanagement to happen in urban management. The workshop will offer an opportunity for cities to discover available SMART solutions that can have a significant impact on transparency and improve communication with the citizen.
Topics. Cities and partners will share experiences and tools regarding the use of SMART technologies to:
- improve transparency of municipal action and finances.
- fight corruption and fraud in urban development and management.
- build trust between citizen and administration.
- strengthen communication channels with the citizen.
- increase citizens' participation in city management.
Results. The workshop will result in the “Madrid Guidelines”, a document systematizing the exchanges, case studies, challenges, opportunities and views shared by decision makers who face similar situations regarding the pressing need to address the citizen’s demand for transparency in more innovative ways.
Who can attend. The workshop will gather approximately 60 representatives of local governments and their partners (network of cities, civil society and international organizations, service providers from the private sector, universities, etc.) from all around the world.
Modalities of participation. The event is free of charge. We have a limited number of grants to cover travel and accommodation in Madrid reserved for speakers. The selection of speakers will be based on geographical representation and the complementarity of the experiences. Priority will be given to representatives from cities of developing countries.
DEADLINE FOR REQUESTING A GRANT IS DECEMBER 15th
For more information, download HERE the concept note of the workshop.
To apply for a GRANT SPEAKER download HERE the registration form.
To attend as a SELF-PAYING PARTICIPANT download HERE the registration form.
WBA Asian Vision Forum - Connecting Cities and Citizens
Wireless Broadband Alliance introduces its first Vision Forum Asia – Connecting Cities and Citizens. WBA Vision Forum Asia – Connecting Cities & Citizens will feature seminar sessions and executive roundtables, providing an opportunity for participants to meet leaders from a number of Asian governments, technology companies, telecoms operators, and ecosystem players, as well as media and analysts.
Join the discussion on a number of topics, including: Public-Private Partnerships, Carrier and City Wi-Fi Deployment & Monetization, Converged Services (Wi-Fi Calling, Carrier Aggregation), Roadmap to 5G, etc, and more.
Delegates from the ecosystem representing China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, The Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam will be in attendance.
Registration is free of charge.
Registration link
Event participation enquiries:
Wilson Tan: wilsontan@wballiance.com
Sponsorship & Speaking Enquiries:
Pooja Samani: pooja@wballiance.com
Paramjit Puri: param@wballiance.com
OUTCOMES OF THE WORLD SUMMIT OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEADERS (12-14 OCTOBER 2016, BOGOTA)
On Saturday the 15th of October, the UCLG World Council met in the framework of the Fifth UCLG Congress and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders in Bogotá, Colombia. The World Council, UCLG’s principle policy-making body, approved the Bogotá Commitment and Action Agenda as the main political output of the Congress.
More information: https://www.bogota2016.uclg.org/en/media/uclg-world-congress-adopts-bogota-commitment-and-action-agenda-fifth-world-congress
PARTICIPATION OF THE COMMISSION AT THE WORLD SUMMIT OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEADERS (12-14 OCTOBER 2016 BOGOTA)
The Commission will participate in the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, organized by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), to be held in Bogota (Colombia) from 12 to 15 October in connection with Habitat III (Third Conference United Nations on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development).
This event, whose theme is "Local Voices for a Better World", takes place every three years, and over the past editions has gained an enviable reputation within the international community, since it is the largest global gathering and influential mayors, local and regional governments.
This edition will be the meeting point for leaders and local and regional leaders, and will bring together more than 3,000 representatives of towns, cities and regions and experts from civil society and business and academia. Over three days the main dynamics that have an impact on the daily work of local governments in the field of social, environmental, economic and cultural level will be discussed. Also, the main recommendations of local and regional governments to Habitat III are defined and worked on the "Global Agenda Local Government and Regional for the XXI century".
More information: https://www.bogota2016.uclg.org/en
ANNUAL EVENT OF THE COMMISSION HELD IN LIVERPOOL
The UCGL Committee of Digital and Knowledge-based Cities, chaired by the City of Bilbao, held its annual event in the city of Liverpool (England) last June. The event took place in the framework of the Connected City Summit and the Councillor for Economic Development, Trade and Employment, Xabier Ochandiano, presented the strategy of Bilbao to achieve a "well connected" city through new information and communication technologies.
In addition, Xabier Ochandiano participated in a round table with Antoine Bidegain, Director General of the Connected Metropolis of Bordeaux; Monique Mukaruliza, mayor of Kigali, capital of Rwanda; and Nuha Eltinay, director of Urban Planning and Sustainable Development of the Arab Institute for Urban Development.
More information: http://www.wirelessglobalcongress.com/discover-the-show/event-overview/
The Committee Annual Event will be held on June 18, in Liverpool under the title “Connected City Summit”
The UCLG Committee of Digital and Knowledge-based Cities -chaired by the City of Bilbao- and the Wireless Broadband Alliance have signed an agreement to work closely together on the development of Connected City initiatives.
The first initiative in the framework of this collaboration is the “CONNECTED CITY SUMMIT” which will take place on the 28th of June 2016 in Liverpool (UK), as part of the WBA Wifi Global Congress at the International Festival for Business 2016 and with the support of the City of Liverpool and its Mayor.
The Connected City Summit expects to gather over 100 cities representatives including founding members of the WBA Connected City Advisory Board, New York, San Francisco, New Delhi and San Jose.
“Our cooperation with the Wireless Broadband Alliance is a perfect fit – we are both committed to the social and economic development of the Connected City ecosystem. The Connected City Summit will be a great platform for cities from around the world to discuss and share their experiences, as well as help those in the early stages of development to execute smart city plans. We are excited to be working with the Wireless Broadband Alliance to drive awareness for global connectivity and help bridge the digital divide”.
Mr. Xabier Ochandiano, City Councillor for the Economic Development, Commerce and Employment of the City of Bilbao, Presidency of the UCLG Committee of Digital and Knowledge-based Cities.
The partnership will also allow the Wireless Broadband Alliance to expand its Connected City Advisory Board (CCAB) with UCLG members, inviting the group to participate in roundtable discussions on the development of smart cities. The CCAB develops and promotes the growth of the Connected City ecosystem. It recognizes and disseminates information about best practices, as well as the challenges and opportunities cities face when executing Connected City plans.
“We are thrilled to be cooperating with the UCLG Committee of Digital and Knowledge-based Cities on the development of our Connected City Summit at the Wi-Fi Global Congress. The Committee will be imperative to the development of the agenda and gaining participation from cities from around the world to discuss, debate and ultimately help make smart cities a reality. Wi-Fi will be the key to bridging the global digital divide, connecting the unconnected and the underserved. We have a hope and vision for universal and affordable connectivity for all, which is why we have created the Connected City Summit at Wi-Fi Global Congress, and are continually looking to expand the CCAB”.
Mr. Shrikant Shenwai, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance
Goals of the Connected City Summit
The Summit will provide a perfect opportunity to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the cities, as well as hear the latest developments from global leaders in wireless and SMART technology. It has as main goals:
1. Promote the development of Connected City plans and blueprints, creation of public-private ecosystems and collaboration mechanisms for resource contributions and shared risks and rewards/incentives.
2. Create an environment for City Managers and CIOs to knowledge-exchange and create best practices with their counterparts in other cities. Discuss ways to optimize technology delivery in the most practical manner possible to deliver the greatest societal benefit, to account for privacy and security concerns and to determine the best way to leverage public/private partnerships.
3. Recognize and disseminate information about the best practices, challenges and opportunities in the development and execution of Connected City plans.
Registration to the Connected City Summit has no cost for UCLG members. There are a limited number of places available, so we recommend you to register as soon as possible. Registered cities to the Connected City Summit will be also able to attend the WBA Wifi Global Congress.
Please note that each participant should take care of its own travel, visa and accommodation costs, however, delegate financial support may be available to cities meeting qualifying criteria.
You can register and find more information about the Summit and the procedure for the request of delegate financial support in the following link: www.uclg-digitalcities.org/evento-anual/liverpool-2016/
