United Cities and Local Governments [UCLG] is the largest international organization of local governments in the world. It is made up of 240,000 local governments in over 140 countries as of March 2021.
The organization shares policies among cities and local governments, responds to global issues through close cooperation, and promotes economic and social development in each region.
It is committed to representing, defending, and amplifying the voices of cities and local governments around the world, and to revitalizing each local community to leave no one and no place behind.
The UCLG Congress is held every three years. The representatives of local governments attend to discuss on the sustainable development of local governments. In 2022, the UCLG Congress was held in Daejeon, Korea, under the theme, “Local and Regional Governments Breaking Through As One,” and 576 cities from 145 countries attended this event.
The event consisted of various sessions: lectures, meetings by local government and by continent, meetings and discussions by subject, and networking. Moreover, additional events were held to promote city policies to achieve the UN SDGs which are the global goals, and to introduce the activities of local governments and agencies.
ASEZ members in Daejeon attended the event and broadened their knowledge by learning the policies and activities of each city and region according to its characteristics. They met the representatives of local governments around the world to hear their opinions on the activities of university students, and asked for advice on their activities.
The delegates of the UCLG, including Jean Baptiste Buffet the Head of Policy at the United Cities and Local Governments, and Fabrizio Rossi the Secretary-General at the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, together with the representatives of the Local Government Association by country and of the National Assembly, and the mayors of cities around the world agreed that they were deeply impressed by the active activities of ASEZ university students in various fields.
The representatives signed support signatures for ASEZ for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and suggested ASEZ to meet the university students who are working in their countries, to hear about each region’s activities, and to discuss how they will work together in the future.
Lee Ji-yeon, an ASEZ member from Chungnam National University, said, “I’ve learned that it is very important to listen to people’s voices even though they are from a small community. I will take a close look at what my school and neighbors need and reflect it in my activities.” Additionally, Yu Ji-min, the ASEZ club president at Hanbat National University, expressed the need for university students’ interest and participation in developing policies for each city and region.
Human history has been created by many different people.
An individual, a region, and a city can grow and develop when it goes with various people and communities.
ASEZ has been working, with an emphasis on networking and cooperating with various stakeholders around the world.
When all people play their roles in their communities to change residents’ lives, a sustainable future will be created in human history.
