The 2016 World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, themed ‘Local Voices for a Better World,’ opened on Wednesday, 12 October 2016, in Bogotá, Colombia, and will continue through Saturday, 15 October. The World Summit, organized by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), is the largest global gathering of mayors, councilors, representatives of local governments, and other interested policymakers and practitioners.
Four major deliverables are expected from the 2016 World Summit. The Global Agenda of Local and Regional Governments for the 21st Century will reflect the discussions held in the Summit’s plenaries and policy dialogues, highlighting local and regional authorities’ priorities that are not currently included in global development negotiations surrounding Habitat III and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Accompanying the Global Agenda will be the launch of the 4th Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD IV), providing analysis, innovative examples and case studies from around the globe to support the recommendations of the Global Agenda. Another major output will be the Bogotá Statements, which will capture the major challenges that local and regional governments have identified during the Summit. The fourth and final expected outcome is the Key Recommendations of Local and Regional Governments to Habitat III.