CLGF’s Secretary-General, Dr Greg Munro has just returned from Sri Lanka on a visit to seal the deal on the next Commonwealth Local Government Conference – CLGC2019 – which will take place from 11 to 14 June 2019 in Colombo. 

Hot topics for local government

The conference is CLGF’s flagship event which takes place biennially. It brings together CLGF members and representatives from ministries, national and regional associations, individual councils, the private sector, professional associations, academics and research pioneers to discuss and debate the hot topics affecting local government now and in the long term. In addition to the main conference, there will also be a number of associated events, including a research colloquium, and both a youth and a gender event.   

First time location Asia 

Signing the official contract with Mr Kamal Pathmasiri, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Dr Munro said: “We are very excited that CLGC2019 will be taking place in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. It is the first time that the conference will take place in Asia and Sri Lanka will provide an excellent backdrop against which to consider key issues for local government, especially given their recent local government elections and groundbreaking developments at city and local government level in the country. We are at the very early stages of planning, but I am very grateful to Mr Pathmasiri for the interesting discussions about how to make the conference both relevant and useful for our members.”

Steering group

Accompanying Dr Munro was CLGF’s Programme Officer for the Asia region, Ms Anuya Kuwar, who is based in Mumbai. Ms Kuwar will be part of the steering group preparing for the event in ten months’ time to provide regional expertise. 

More information will be made available as the conference takes shape but please make sure you save the dates in your diary as one of the strengths of the Commonwealth Local Government Conference is the active contribution and insights of the delegates.