CLGF Secretary-General Carl Wright spoke at an interactive session on how technology can be best harnessed to help local government fight poverty at the 8^th World Forum of Cities against Poverty in Dublin on 20 February. The event was organised by the Dublin City Council, United Nations Development Programme and UN Women.

Mr Wright said, “ICT can enable development and have potential for accelerating growth, creating jobs and reducing migration pressure from rural to urban areas. ICT can also boost agricultural and industrial productivity, enhance communications services, increase the diffusion of innovations, improve efficiency in public administration and make economic reforms more effective.”

He highlighted one of the partnership projects between Kingston St Andrews Corporation, Jamaica and Lewisham, London which developed as part of the CLGF Good Practice Scheme, to respond to local needs and promote community engagement. Mr Wright said, "Kingston explored a range of different strategies, which Lewisham was using to improve resident participation; this included the Love Lewisham Campaign, which uses social media. Kingston was particularly attracted by the fact that the approach allows for real-time reporting which would enable them to be far more responsive in dealing with issues which previously would have been reported only at the next council meeting.  The partnership focused on improving community engagement by developing an app via social media similar to the Love Lewisham app".

Mr Wright also met with Hon Joe Costello, Minister of State for Trade and Development, Ireland who will soon be taking the presidency of the EU.