Mission and Vision

The mission of the World Organisation is to be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community.

To achieve this mission, the World Organisation shall pursue the following objectives:

To promote strong and effective democratic local self-government throughout the world;
To promote unity and cooperation amongst members;
To ensure the effective political representation of local government to the international community, in particular the United Nations and its agencies;
To be the worldwide source of key information and intelligence regarding local government;
To be the worldwide source of learning, exchange and capacity-building, supporting the establishment and strengthening of free and autonomous local governments and their national associations;
To promote economic, social, cultural, vocational and environmental development and service to the population based on the principles of good governance, sustainability and social inclusion;
To promote race and gender equality, and to combat all forms of discrimination that are illegal with regard to international law, and/or illegitimate in relation to the values and policies of the organisation;
To be a strong democratic organisation, reflecting in its composition and functioning the diversity of the local spheres of governance;
To promote decentralised cooperation and international cooperation between local governments and their associations;
To promote twinning and partnerships as a means for mutual learning and friendship between peoples;
To develop policies, programmes and initiatives within the framework of the World Organisation’s mission, values and objectives, this implies seeking appropriate means to implement them, within the internal rules of the organisation.