CLGF joined today with partners: the Ministry of Provincial Councils, Local Government and Sport and the Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities (FSLGA), to announce the theme of the next Commonwealth Local Government Conference - CLGC2019:  Citizen centred local government: driving inclusive social and economic change.

Plans for the conference which takes place from 11 to 14 June 2019 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo were unveiled at a reception hosted by the Sri Lanka Ministry for Commonwealth High Commissioners to the country.

Local government is tasked with creating communities that are safe, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous but there are many challenges to providing high quality services that meet the needs of all citizens. As well as introducing new policies and practices, local government must ensure that citizens are behind the decisions required to transform communities.   
 

Communities that people want

CLGF Secretary-General Dr Greg Munro described the conference as a flagship event and said that it will focus on strategies to enable local government to work more closely with citizens to drive the social and economic change required to underpin the work to build the communities that people want. 

First time in Asia 

He said: “This is the first time our conference will be held in Asia and we are very excited. CLGF conferences result in practical policy recommendations for implementation by our many members throughout the Commonwealth. Local Government plays a major role in facilitating the necessary social cohesion and inclusive growth to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. CLGC2019 will look at ways to ensure that citizens’ views are part of the decision making.”

Learn and share

The Conference - CLGC2019 - will be attended by over 600 senior policy makers from around the Commonwealth including local and national governments, regional local government associations, research pioneers and academics, civil society and the private sector. It will take the form of keynote speeches and plenary sessions, working groups and study visits with a rich cultural programme. There will be an opportunity to learn and share about success and innovation from Commonwealth countries, including showcasing good practice from Sri Lanka. In addition, the outcomes will be presented to the 2020 CHOGM in Rwanda.