When CLGF Patron Helen Clark visited our London office this week, we seized the opportunity to put a few questions to the former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former UNDP Administrator. As well as discovering why Helen thinks CLGC2017 is such an important conference for local government, we got some useful tips on social media and a hint of what she might be discussing at the launch of the Women in Local Government Network in Malta.

A firm supporter of CLGF for many years, Helen explained that CLGC2017 is important because it is the first Commonwealth Local Government conference since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were gaveled through the UN General Assembly in 2015. Earlier, CLGF’s work had focused on increasing engagement by local government in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and influencing the design of the SDGs. Two years into the SDGs’ implementation, the conference’s aim must be to encourage meaningful contributions to achieving the goals. "It’s really about the old adage - Think global, act local", she said. "CLGC2017 can inspire local government ministries, administrations and associations, and individual communities to believe that what they do can make a real difference locally and globally. It’s change at the local level which drives progress on global agendas. If it doesn’t happen locally, it doesn’t happen!"

With Helen and a host of other distinguished women taking part in the conference, the Women in Local Government Network launch taking place on the evening of Wednesday, 22 November will be well attended. We asked how difficult it had been to rise to the top of government in, New Zealand, the first country where, in 1893, women gained the right to vote in national elections. Helen said: "I studied politics at Auckland University, and always assumed that I would become a secondary school teacher. Instead, after teaching at Auckland University, I was elected to Parliament. It was eighteen years from the time of my first election as an MP to becoming Prime Minister – a long haul.

A tireless advocate of gender equality, Helen has recently visited Saudi Arabia and noted the modernisation programme there, including the moves to bring more women into the workforce and achieve gender balance in the civil service, and the decision to allow women to drive. The launch of the Women in Local Government Network in Malta will provide an ideal setting to find out what’s important to women in local government and their female constituents across the Commonwealth.

Helen is a committed user of social media to promote awareness of issues and perspectives. We asked Helen how it all started. Joining UNDP in 2009, Helen found its external communication reach was limited, and did not convey an engaging picture of what the organisation actually did. If understanding of UNDP’s role and work was to increase, that had to change. Staff were encouraged to get more engaged in telling UNDP’s stories, and, leading by example, Helen’s wide-ranging use of social media began. Helen told us: "The key thing is to know how to reach both broad and target audiences. For example, Snapchat is now a good vehicle for reaching under-20s in a number of countries. In other markets, Facebook may be very dominant, or Twitter, or Instagram. You need to have a story to tell and the ability to tell it. And don’t forget to research and then use relevant hashtags, and tag those you want to know about your tweets and posts."

We look forward to hearing more from Helen Clark in Malta next month – in person and on social media. And, speaking of hashtags, please come and visit the CLGF Stand in the exhibition hall, and take a selfie with our CLGC2017 hashtag