General secretary message

Our aim, as United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Regional Section (UCLG-MEWA) is to establish cooperation among the local governments in our region, to become the united voice of the democratic governance, through protecting the values, aims and interests of local governance.

It is quite important for an international actor to assume a strong role in the international arena. It will be our most important goal to raise the synergy which it has created to become an important power in its region, altogether, by means of fulfilling the duties  it has undertaken in the Middle East and West Asia Region.

UCLG-MEWA is currently carrying out various works in spheres such as “Climate Change, Millenium Development Goals, Eradication of Poverty, Local Finance, Decentralization, City Diplomacy and Ensuring Peace, Alliance of Civilizations, Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy, Gender Equality, Culture, Urban Mobility, Urban Strategic Planning, Sustainable Development, Immigration, Water” and the like, which are among the most discussed issues in the world, at local, regional, national and international levels, on which strategies and projects are developed, and solutions sought. These works are powered by the active participation of the UCLG members.  The principles, strategies and programs developed thanks to these works are adopted by not only local governments, but also national governments and international organizations.

UCLG-MEWA also pursues its activities as a think-tank, which carries out researches in order to provide solutions to the problems that the societies face. In this regard, it coordinates the Turkish Local Agenda 21 Program, which is considered to be one of the best examples of participatıory-democratic “local governance” practices in the world; thereby contributing to the process of democratization in our region, within the context of local governments.

While we are aiming at informing you, our valuable visitors, through our website, on all of our present and future activities, within the body of our organization; I would like to invite all the local governments in the MEWA region to gather under the same roof with us, in our endeavor to strengthen local governance and democracy, and to become a UCLG-MEWA member. Your participation will further strengthen us.

Kind Regards,

Mehmet DUMAN
UCLG-MEWA
Secretary General