The 5th UCLG-ASPAC Congress took place on 3-6 September 2014 in Taipei and marked the transition between the incoming and outgoing Presidents. The Congress was opened by Mayor Lung-Bin Hau of Taipei and outgoing UCLG ASPAC President Syed Muhammad Asghar Shah Gillani from the Local Councils Association of the Punjab (LCAP) of Pakistan. Won Hee-Ryong, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, became the new President of the Asia-Pacific Section of the World Organization.
The central theme of the Congress was An Adaptive City: Embedding Design in City Governance. Mayors, Deputy Mayors, delegates, representatives and experts from a wide range of fields related to city governance were invited to share their experiences and insights. Cities participating in this year’s Congress included: New Taipei City; Taichung City; Changhua City; Adelaide, Australia; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Hamamatsu, Japan; Stirling, Scotland; Luxemburg City; San Salvador, El Salvador; Waterloo, Canada; and Mbabane, Swaziland, who came together to share their expertise on city governance and innovation.
UCLG-ASPAC also held Statutory meetings in conjunction with the Congress, including a session on their Long Term Strategic Plan for 2015-2020. The main issue raised was the importance of maintaining the organization’s role as a bridge, network and knowledge-sharing platform, as well as a facilitator in assisting the strengthening of local governments.
The meetings of the Executive Bureau, the General Assembly and the Council, as well as the Sub-Regional Elections, were held on 5 September. The day concluded with a session on “Localizing the Post-2015 Agenda.” 60 participants were present on this occasion.
The Council members elected Mr. Won Hee-Ryong, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, as the new President of UCLG-ASPAC for the 2014-2016 term.
The 2014-2016 Co-Presidents are:
Ranjit S. Chavan, Director General of All India Institute of Local Self-Government (representing Associate and International Organization Members).
Dora Mani Paudel President of Municipal Association of Nepal (representing South&Southwest Asia sub-region).
Felicity-ann Lewis, President of Australian Local Government Association (representing Pacific sub-region and Women in Local Government).
Joko Widodo, Governor of Jakarta Capital City Government (Host).
Syed Muhammad Asghar Shah Gillani, President of Local Councils Association of the Punjab-Pakistan (Immediate Past President).
Chen Haosu (Founding President).
Mr. Gillani, has received on the occasion of the end of his Presidency, a Medal of Honour.
Dr. Modi, has terminated his Co-Presidency term and has announced his retirement. He has received the highest of all the recognitions by UCLG ASPAC, which is to receive the title of Honorary Member.
Congratulations to the newly elected Representatives and welcome to the new President!
It was also decided that Jeollabuk-do Province in South Korea would host the next meeting of the bi-annual UCLG-ASPAC Congress.
Source : UCLG-ASPAC
