February 20-24, 2023 | UCLG ASPAC, represented by Secretary General, Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, partook in and supported the UCLG World Annual Retreat 2023 together with approximately 300 local leaders and experts in Barcelona. The retreat deployed the Pact for the Future of Humanity’s vision within its commitment to common humanity and “the power of collective action, empowerment, shared ownership, cocreation, and international cooperation and solidarity,” following its adoption at the 7th UCLG Congress in Daejeon, Republic of Korea in October 2022.
Day #1 brought up “The Power of We” theme to strengthen the network in responding to the current challenges faced. There was also a Future Envisioning Workshop that identified skills, tools, and materials in several areas of work (“We Care Toolboxes”) using the main axis of the Power of We: We Care, and thus We Act, We Meet, We Advocate, We Listen, We Research, and We Learn. It highlighted what tools to bring, and our respective skills, and identified what might be missing to bring about transformation.
Day #2 saw the organisation of two workshops, which allowed participants to explore the impact of concrete actions and resources to improve the way the Pact is monitored, and practice collective thinking to reflect on the four enablers of the Pact for the Future: Commons, Finance, Trust, and Governance Architecture. Continuing the first day, the second day also included The Power of We: Setting the Scene; The story behind our impact: Future Envisioning Workshop; Unfolding the Pact for the Future; Keys to Unfold the Pact for the Future: High-Impact partnerships; and Gateways to our common future: Future Envisioning Workshop.
Day #3 was fully dedicated to the annual gathering of Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Government (GTF) to reflect on the achievements of the past year and to define the messaging and the strategy for the coming year, including the participation in major international events and other opportunities to push for the seat of the local and regional governments at the table with decision-makers. Discussions brought up this year’s critical moments since some global agendas, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, are approaching the middle point. In addition, there will also be various key events this year. The period 2023-2026 is also considered crucial to influence global agendas, especially “Our Common Agenda” and the Summit of the Future in 2024 with mechanisms such as the Secretary-General Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments.
Day #4 focused on forecasting global trends for local and regional governments and it included Media for Cities Debate; Strengthening Coalitions to Accelerate Action and Looking at the Future through a Territorial Lens: High-impact partnerships; and Consolidating a Global Community that Cares: Future Envisioning Workshop. UCLG ASPAC Secretary General, Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, moderated session on Strengthening Coalitions to Accelerate Action and Looking at the Future through a Territorial Lens: High-impact partnerships. She mentioned common urban challenges that cities face regardless of size or location. She stressed that partnership and knowledge exchange is important and that high-impact partnerships for transformation are a critical milestone to foster innovation and impact at the territorial and local levels. As the capacity of UCLG to amplify the voices of the membership deepens, renewed partnerships will be critical in forging far-reaching transformative visions reflected in The Pact for the Future.
There was also a Call for Submission for the 6th edition of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation (submissions accepted until August 31, 2023). The Guangzhou Deputy Director-General of the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Deng Changxiong, launched the call and stressed the commitment of the Chinese government and the City of Guangzhou to sustainable development and economy. He mentioned that the Global Mayor’s Forum and the Award are opportunities for innovation and contributing to peace.
Included in the fourth day was the Marketplace of the UCLG Retreat as an interactive space for partners to present an “elevator pitch” of their organisations, initiatives, or tools. Over 19 partners presented their projects, networked, and shared more about the projects they are interested in. Participants were also able to collect initiatives they are interested in.
Day #5 mainly focused on the wrap-up session and feedback from participants on the organsiation of the UCLG Retreat 2023; Presidency Meeting (closed session) carried out the several issues related to multilateralism; the unity of local governments towards current issues and challenges (war in Ukraine, disaster response and resiliency, gender, and global feminist movement).
