PSI at the World Summit for Local and Regional leaders
02 October 2013
“PSI represents 20 million workers, it is important for PSI to be present at this important meeting, to get in touch with representatives from local government, to build alliances and to enhance our work for quality public services, says Pavanelli.
At the UCLG congress in Morocco's capital Rabat, PSI's general secretary is accompanied by a delegation of PSI affiliates from ten countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve.
Headquartered in Barcelona, the organisation’s stated mission is: To be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community.
“Our aim here is to strengthen PSI’s relationship with local governments around the world, to maintain dialogue and to improve the working conditions for workers, says Rosa Pavanelli.
Our mission is also to show that we care about the people that are users of the services we provide. When workers, government and citizens work together, we can provide quality public services for better quality of life.”
On Thursday 3 October, Pavanelli will give a speech at a the session Promoting local economic development.
“This is the first time that PSI is invited to speak at a formal event of UCLG. This shows there is an interest to meet and to exchange views and experiences. There is no doubt that the community can be strengthened when services are accessible for everybody. This is particularly important in times of economic crisis and austerity measures.
The official programme for the UCLG Congress shows that there is a strong focus on public-private partnerships (PPPs).
“PPPs are not a long term solution, says Pavanelli. If we want local governments to be effective economic sectors, the solution is not private management.”