"The pandemic has not only endangered human lives, but also the functioning of democratic societies and institutions. It required an effort of adaptation and innovation from all levels of government to build a more sustainable and inclusive future," said Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG), member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at the North-South Centre Executive Committee meeting on 13 November 2020.
"The current period is a reminder of what unites us all, beyond our differences: our humanity," he emphasized during discussions on the Lisbon Forum program, to be held from 1 to 3 December 2020, on the theme "Learning from our Global Challenges: Rebuilding Solidarity". "Our Congress is convinced of the need for increased solidarity and has supported the the North-South Centre’s #SolidAction campaign since its launch", of which its 2nd webinar is to take place on 19 November 2020, he said, stressing that the Congress will contribute to the Lisbon Forum by building on its Covid-19 crisis work.
The Congress is currently drafting a comprehensive report on the impact of COVID 19 on local and regional democracy and will be presented at the Congress session in March 2021. In addition, an interactive remote meeting will be organised on 7 December 2020, in parallel of the Congress Statutory Forum due to be held on the same day. The session will bring Council of Europe leaders, national government representatives and other personalities together with Congress members in order to discuss how to best ensure effective responses to public health crisis. The Congress has also developed an online hub where good practices and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic can be shared between local and regional authorities and institutions and serves as a source of inspiration for national, regional and local governments.
Furthermore, the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre validated the decision of the Jury of the North-South Prize and welcomed its new Executive Director, Jorge Silva Lopes.
The Congress is an institutional stakeholder of the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South Centre), where it represents the local and regional dimension alongside the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. The North-South Centre’s mission is to spread the universal values of the Council of Europe beyond the European continent by promoting active citizenship among the four levels of the quadrilogue (governments, parliaments, local and regional authorities and civil society) and by raising awareness of global interdependence through intercultural dialogue and education for global citizenship.
