UCLG & Global Taskforce

Over 200 representatives of local government, international agencies and development NGOs came together to highlight the need for more action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs*), in Lisbon on 12th and 13th October.

 

The conference on "8 Ways to Change the World" underlined that the MDGs - which were unanimously agreed by almost 200 heads of government at the UN in 2000 - cannot be achieved without the active and effective work of local governments, a role recognized publicly last year by outgoing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

 

Amongst the speakers were Nobel Peace Prize winner Dom Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, formerly Bishop of East Timor; and Evelyn Herfkens, the Executive Director of the UN Millennium Campaign. Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, also gave a video message in which he underlined how important the MDGs are to the EU, and also confirmed the key role of local governments.

 

This role, in Europe, was also highlighted by the cities of Bonn, Brussels, Lyon and Marseille, gathered in sessions together with Africa's cities represented by the Mayor of Praia (Cape-Verde), Felisberto Vieira. Other videos from celebrities such as Shakira, Richard Gere and Lenny Kravitz were also presented.

 

The commitment to the MDGs of Portugal was emphasized by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Joao Gomes Cravinho; by the Mayor of Lisbon, Antonio Carmona Rodrigues; and by the President of the NAMP, Fernando Ruas.

 

The Council of Europe was represented by Halvdan Skard, President of the Congress of local and regional authorities (CLRAE). CEMR was represented politically by Andres Knape, Mayor of Karlstad, Sweden.

 

The conference adopted a short Declaration on the MDGs which includes a call for greater support by the EU to local and regional governments for work on the MDGs.

 

* The UN's Millennium Development Goals consist of a list of global anti poverty targets. These targets were adopted by world leaders at the UN Millennium summit in September 2000; they include halving extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, reducing infant mortality rate, reversing the spreads of diseases such as AIDS and malaria, ensuring environmental sustainability.