Overhandiging voorzitterschap aan de burgemeester van Daejeon, 17 oktober 2025

 

Dear members, dear colleagues,

 

We have now reached the conclusion of this session of the World Council.
I want to thank each and every one of you once again for your attendance, both in-person and online, and for your valuable contributions.

 

With deep gratitude and pride, I stand before you at the conclusion of my term as President of United Cities and Local Governments.
It has been a true privilege to serve this remarkable community of local and regional leaders from every corner of the world.

 

As we have reflected throughout this Council, the past year has been one of connection, commitment, and shared purpose.
Together, we have shown that the strength of UCLG lies not in words alone, but in the collective energy of our members, in our ability to listen, to act, and to lead with care.

 

Over the past months, I have had the privilege of witnessing that spirit of leadership across the world,
from the discussions on sustainable development and local finance in Addis and Seville,
to the conversations on peace and resilience in Montevideo and Recife;
from our dialogues on global partnerships in Brussels and Paris, to our shared advocacy in Cairo and New York.
Each encounter reaffirmed what makes UCLG unique: our belief that local action and global solidarity go hand in hand.

 

Allow me also to express my heartfelt gratitude to my own association, the Association of Dutch Municipalities, VNG, for its trust and support throughout my mandate.
It has been an honour to serve this world organization on their behalf.
VNG has always believed that local democracy does not stop at national borders.
That same belief has guided me as President of UCLG.

The conviction that by standing together, our municipalities, wherever they are, can shape a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

 

Colleagues, friends,

 

Here in Xi’an, we have taken an important steps together.
By adopting the proposals to make our organization more democratic and transparent, we have strengthened the very foundation of UCLG.
We are moving towards a new governance cycle.
Wherever I could, I have sought to bring people closer together in these processes.
For if there is one thing in which UCLG excels, it is in the power of our diversity, geographical, cultural, and political.

 

That diversity is our greatest asset.

And it is our connection that enables us to act together, to confront global challenges with local solutions.

 

Let this be the message I wish to leave you with today:

Continue building connections.

Continue fostering collaboration.

Continue working for peace.

 

After all, our work concerns the five billion people we represent. Five billion people who have placed their trust in us, as servants of the local public affairs.

Five billion women, men, and children who have the right to claim, no, who must claim, a life of peace and freedom. Protected from fear and want.

That is our mission.

Let us never lose sight of it.

 

I thank the Presidency, the Secretariat, all members and partners of UCLG for your trust, cooperation, and inspiration.

It has been an honour to serve as your President.

I wish my successor, the Mayor of Daejeon, Lee Jang-woo, every success.

And I will remain closely connected with this exceptional organization, as mayor, as colleague, and above all, as ally.

 

Thank you.