Asia Pacific Voiced Interests in Interna1onal Forum: The 1st Retreat UCLG in Barcelona BARCELONA. Several delegates from several country around the world visited the beau7ful architectural city of Barcelona, the capital province of Catalonia, Spain. Barcelona has been hos7ng the interna7onal forum 7tled The 1st Retreat for UCLG Secretariats, CommiCees and Key Partners held last week on February 9-‐13, 2015. As an organiza7on that represent more than 7,000 local governments, UCLG ASPAC responded this event enthusias7cally by sending two representa7ves, the UCLG ASPAC Secretary General Dr. Bernadia Irawa7 Tjandradewi and the Strategic Services Manager A7k Kumala to aCend the event.
The Secretary General of UCLG ASPAC Dr. Bernadia Irawa7 Tjandradewi pointed the importance of aCending this interna7onal event, as more than only having the chance on mee7ng all the delegates from nine regions from all over the world. Dr. Bernadia, a visi7ng professor in three universi7es in Japan says, “The 1st Retreat for UCLG Secretariats, CommiCees and Key Partners is a valuable interna7onal forum where each region has the chance to share informa7on and concerns in their country to be discussed.” “Because this is the first event held, of course all the par7cipants who aCended have big expecta7on that their voice can be heard. So we used this opportunity to voice out our concerns and needs for the Asia Pacific region and at the same 7me, we could also hear the problems and concerns happening in other countries like Africa, La7n America, Europe and others,” adds the Doctor Graduate in Urban Engineering from University of Tokyo (2006) and double master degrees in Atmospheric Physics from Nagoya University (1993) and Public Policy from Na7onal University of Singapore (1995). Knowing that this event was strategically important, Dr. Bernadia took along her Strategic Services Manager A7k Kumala. She responded this invita7on enthusias7cally. “Its been a long 7me I have been wan7ng to join UCLG interna7onal event as well as mee7ng all colleagues around the world,” says the ITS Surabaya graduate.
According to A7k, this is the 7me for Asia Pacific Sec7on that has been represented by UCLG ASPAC to earn informa7on and insights from the Eight Sec7ons that can be used for developing the future programs. She said, “That’s what we are focusing in the 1st Retreat of UCLG Secretariats, CommiCees and Key Partners, the coopera7on amongst Sec7on” UCLG (United Ci7es and Local Governments) is worldwide associa7on of local government organiza7ons and the only government organiza7ons recognized by the United Na7ons to be the united voice and world advocate of democra7c local self-‐government, promo7ng its values, objec7ves and interests, through coopera7on between local governments and within the wider interna7onal community. UCLG has officially been acknowledged by United Na7ons as official voice to represent united of local governments. From the nine regions of UCLG, Asia Pacific is the biggest sec7on at UCLG with linkages to more than 7,000 local governments and incorporates economically fast developing countries such as China, India and Indonesia.