Habitat III Conference, Metropolis and UCLG World Congress - Mayor of Montréal on a mission to South America

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 12, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Mayor of Montréal, the Honourable Denis Coderre, will be on a mission to South America from October 12 to 18. On this mission, he will be visiting Bogota (Columbia), where he will attend the 5th World Council of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) – World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders 2016. Mayor Denis Coderre will also preside over a board of directors meeting of Metropolis, the world association of large metropolises, of which he is President. He will also participate in the 3rd United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Development (Habitat III), in Quito (Ecuador).

"The mobilization of associations of large cities, such as Metropolis of which Montréal is part, has contributed to the adoption of a new urban agenda as part of the Habitat III Conference, which will meet the urbanization challenges of the 21st century for the next 20 years," said the Mayor of Montréal.

Summit of Local and Regional Leaders: "Local Voices for a Better World"
The Summit of Local and Regional Leaders is the Congress of United Cities and Local Governments of which Montréal holds the vice-presidency. This high-profile event, which is held every three years, is a premier meeting and a reference for local and regional decision makers. It brings together more than 3,000 representatives of cities, metropolises, regions, civil society, the business community and academic sector from around the world, who have come to discuss various challenges faced by cities and local authorities as well as important topics for the well-being of their communities.

Presidency of Metropolis
In addition to taking part in the statutory meetings of the UCLG Executive Office and World Council, where he sits as Vice-President of this association and President of the North American Chapter, Denis Coderre will preside over the extraordinary meeting of the Metropolis board of directors. Mr. Coderre plans to reiterate the invitation to the members of the association to participate in the 2017 Metropolis World Congress, which will be held in Montréal next June, coinciding with Montréal's 375th anniversary.

Habitat III Conference
The 3rd United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) will be held in Quito (Ecuador), from October 17 to 20. The main objective of this Conference will be to re-energize the world commitment in favour of sustainable urban development, by focussing mainly on the implementation of the "new urban agenda". The Habitat III Conference will be the first world-scale meeting after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Objectives and will be an opportunity to discuss the challenges posed by urbanization in implementing and achieving new objectives. In this context, Mayor Coderre will present the vision of large metropolises, so as to meet the urban challenges for years to come. Remember that Montréal is involved in the UN process, because it hosted a Habitat III thematic conference on metropolitan areas in 2016. 

About UCLG
Created in 2004, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is the voice of cities at the United Nations. UCLG represents and defends the interests of local governments on the international scene. More than 1,000 cities and 112 associations of local governments in 95 countries are members of UCLG.

About Metropolis
Created in 1985, Metropolis is the main international organization of cities and metropolitan areas of more than one million people and is made up of 140 members. It is an international forum where major cities discuss common issues.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

For further information: Source: Marc-André Gosselin, Attaché de pesse, Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif, 514 290-1194; Information: François Goneau, Relationniste, Service des communications, 514 868-5859