The 2016 meeting of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network being convened by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum at Marlborough House on 12 July 2016 is an example of the new ‘Commonwealth Hub’ in action.
The 2016 meeting of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network being convened by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum at Marlborough House, 12-13 July 2016 is an example of the new ‘Commonwealth Hub’ in action. The meeting takes place ahead of Habitat III and the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments and will help formulate a Commonwealth local government position to contribute at these meetings.
The opening session on the afternoon of Tuesday 12 July will be followed by a reception at which participants will be addressed by HRH The Prince of Wales and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC.
Attending the meeting will be mayors and ministers from across the Commonwealth, representatives of Commonwealth and other international organisations, and partners with an interest in cities and urban issues including The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit and The Prince's Foundation for Building Community.
The focus of the meeting is on building successful, safe and sustainable cities, and on making cities fit for the future. The degree of urbanisation varies significantly in the 53 member states of the Commonwealth, but everywhere urbanisation is growing rapidly and the number of cities increasing.
Marlborough House was first made available as a centre for Commonwealth events in 1962. It became the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat when it was established in 1965 as the principal intergovernmental body serving the governments of all Commonwealth member states.
Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, visited Marlborough House on Thursday 9th June 2016 to officially launch the ‘Commonwealth Hub’ and to rename Quadrant House in Pall Mall as ‘Commonwealth House’.
The Commonwealth Hub brings together several Commonwealth organisations in the same location to create a collaborative, dynamic and more efficient way of working. The Commonwealth Local Government Forum is one of the organisations that is moving into the centre of Commonwealth activity at Marlborough House and Commonwealth House.
The Commonwealth Local Government Forum works to promote and strengthen democratic local government across the Commonwealth and to encourage the exchange of best practice – through conferences and events, technical assistance projects and research. Working with national and local governments to support the development of democratic values and good local governance, it draws on the influential networks of the Commonwealth that provide a solid basis for its programmes and activities.