REPORT OF THE 4TH UCLG WORLD CONGRESS
Parallel Session
Participation and Local Public Services – Presentation of the GOLD III Report The Third Global Report on Decentralization and Local Democracy (GOLD III) on access to basic services and global urbanization process has been presented at the UCLG World Congress held in Rabat, which in its third edition discusses the importance of local governments in the provision of basic services to improve the quality of life of citizens. The Barcelona Provincial Council and the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (OIDP) have coordinated the session, moderated by Xavier Forcadell (General Coordinator of the Barcelona Provincial Council). All interventions emphasized the problem of the lack of participation and the need to establish mechanisms to promote it. In this sense, Carles Agustí, (Councillor of Barcelona, Spain, and representative of the International Observatory of Participatory Democracy), stressed that only when listening to citizens is it possible to identify their needs and propose appropriate policies. In the same vein, Jairo Jorge, (Mayor of Canoas, Brazil), said that if we understand the act of governing as “the turn ideas into action [...] then it is imperative to bring citizens closer to the administration, involving the public in the management of matters that concern us all.” It was considered essential to evaluate and analyse in order to identify gaps, what has been achieved and the challenges that still need to be addressed. In this sense, Joan Carles Garcia (Mayor of Tordera, Spain, and representative of the Committee on Decentralization and Local Self UCLG), stressed that while the role of local governments is crucial in providing services, it should be established a collaborative framework 20
rabat 2013 - the world summit in numbers | www.uclg.org
Organizers UCLG Committee on Decentralization and Local Self-Government, the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD)
speakers Carles Agustí, Delegate responsible for citizen participation, City of Barcelona, Spain, International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) Sue Bannister, Expert, GOLD III Joan Carles Garcia, Deputy from the Region of Barcelona, Spain, UCLG Committee on Decentralization and Local Self-Government Zineb Adaoui, President, Cour Régionale des Comptes, Morocco Pierre Bauby, Professor Politics, University Paris 8, France Daniel Chisenga, Mayor of Lusaka, Zambia, President of the Association of Local Governments of Zambia (LGAZ) Jaigo Jorge da Silva, Mayor of Canoas, Brazil Bachir Kanouté, Executive Director, ENDA, Coordinator IOPD Africa Rapporteur Paul Smoke, New York University