Parten's Profile

International Union of Local Authorities (IULA)

The International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) has been in existence since 1913, and has members in over 100 countries. As the largest global local government association, IULA’s mission is to promote and unite democratic local governments worldwide. The mission translates into four strategic objectives:

To develop and maintain a strong democratic political organisation

To be the worldwide advocate and voice of local government

To be the worldwide source of key information and intelligence regarding local government

To be the worldwide source of learning, exchange and capacity building programmes on democratic local government.
IULA structure

IULA has a decentralized regional structure and presently has seven Regional Sections in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central America, Europe, Latin America, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East and North America. IULA has a global network of members, which include national local government associations and individual local governments in over 100 countries.

For several years now, IULA has been working with the United Towns Organisation (FMCU-UTO) on a unification process to create a new world organisation of cities and local government associations. This organisation, United Cities and Local Governments, will be launched in January 2004 and its Founding Congress will take place in Paris in May 2004.

Key areas of work

IULA provides a voice for local government across the globe and is a key local government partner of the United Nations. IULA has UN ECOSOC Consultative Status and has long-standing links with, among others, UNDP, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UN-Habitat, WHO and the World Bank, as well as several regional organisations. IULA actively promotes the local government role in effective decentralisation, sustainable development and sustainable urbanisation.

IULA plays a key role in promoting local government at relevant international events. IULA was instrumental in ensuring a local government voice at the UN-Habitat Conferences on Human Settlements in 1996 and 2001, the Beijing +5 Conference on Women in 2001, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, where IULA, as President of WACLAC, drafted and presented the local government declaration to the Summit on behalf of local government across the globe.

IULA is committed to local government capacity building through and works with international partners in the fields of Municipal International Co-operation (MIC), Association Capacity Building (ACB) and women in local government. A key element of the IULA approach is the strengthening of national associations of local governments and the exchange of experience between local government practitioners. IULA maintains a strong network of local government practitioners and partners through its Capacity and Institution Building (CIB) network.

IULA plays a key role in promoting Women in Local Government and developed a Worldwide Declaration on Women in Local Government. IULA is currently implementing a major new Global Programme for the Promotion of Women In Local Decision Making, in partnership with its regional and national member local government associations. With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Global Programme will result in IULA becoming the worldwide source of key information regarding women in local decision making and will address the information gap on the status of women in local government.

Contact:

International Union of Local Authorities (IULA)
Laan Copes van Cattenburch 60 A
PO Box 90646
2509 LP The Hague
The Netherland

Tel. ++31 70 306 6066
Fax ++31 70 350 0496
E-mail: iula@iula.org
Website: http://www.iula.org