Networks of Cities

Created in 1995, Mercocities has the dual purpose of developing exchange and horizontal cooperation between the local governments of the region, and having a political impact in the Mercosur agenda, as well as in the various global agendas.

This organization currently includes 359 cities from 10 countries in South America.

With a strong commitment to regional integration, the city of Rosario has had a prominent role in the network from its beginning. Rosario was one of the founding cities, was a part of the Mercocities Directive Council on several occasions, and was the Vice-President for Climate Change and Sustainable Development during the 2015-2018 period.

Rosario also took part in the technical labor of the network, coordinating and collaborating with different Thematic Units over these 30 years.
Rosario is currently the Vice-President for Social Development and Health for the 2022-2023 period.

Created in 2004, this organization groups over 240,000 cities, regions, and metropolitan areas, and over 175 local and regional government associations from 140 countries in the 5 continents.

UCLG has represented the cities and regions in the creation and implementation processes of some of the main global agendas, such as the Climate Agenda, the New Urban Agenda, and the 2030 Agenda, where UCLG played a key role in adding a territorial dimension to the Sustainable Development Objectives.

The network also promotes exchange and cooperation between its members through its peer-learning platform, created in 2011.

Ever since it entered the organization, Rosario has played an important role in UCLG: as a member of the World Council and the Executive Bureau, in representation of Latin American cities, as a part of the Metropolitan cities section of the organization, as a part of the commission on Urban Strategic Planning, and as the Co-Vice-President for Latin-America, along with the city of Sucre (Bolivia).

The Educating Cities movement started in 1990 at the first International Congress of Educating Cities that took place in Barcelona, Spain, when a group of cities represented by their local governments set forth the objective of collaborating in projects and activities that could improve the quality of life for their citizens. This movement became a formal international organization in 1994.

With the objective of focusing on the specific problems of the Latin American region, IAEC created a Latin American Delegation in 1999, and it is based in the Municipality of Rosario.

The International Congress of Educating Cities takes place every other year in different parts of the world, and is attended by mayors, councilmen and councilwomen, technicians from municipalities and town halls, and representatives of civil organizations from across the world. It is a space for discussion, for exchanging reference practices and for collaborative analysis. Rosario hosted the 16th International Congress of Educating Cities in 2016, with the central theme of “Cities: Living Together in Our Cities.”

With nearly 140 members and 30 years of history, Metropolis is the global network that gathers major cities and metropolitan areas.

It serves as the hub and platform for metropolises to connect and share experiences. It is the focal point of worldwide knowledge and expertise on metropolitan governance. Metropolis is also the metropolitan section of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

Rosario is a member of this network since 2011. In November 2020, during the 13th General Assembly of Metropolis, Rosario became Regional Vice-President of Metropolis for South and Central America and the Caribbean, for the 2021-2023 period.

It is an international alliance of cities created in October 2015 in the city of Milan by 123 mayors and representatives of different cities from all over the world that is committed to the development of sustainable food systems.

There are currently 210 signatory cities from over 60 countries. 

The Pact includes a Framework for Action listing 37 recommended actions, grouped into 6 categories: governance; sustainable diets and nutrition; social and economic equity; food production; food supply and distribution; and food waste. For each recommended action, there are specific indicators in order to monitor progress in the implementation of the pact. 

Rosario entered the Pact in 2020 and was elected by the South American members of the Pact to represent the region in the Steering Committee along with the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for the 2021-2023 period.

It is a network of Ibero-American cities that shares and promotes urban strategic thinking.  It is made up of 150 partners from 21 countries: 122 cities and 28 collaborating organizations.

Rosario has been a member since 1995, and the technical support provided by this network was a great impulse for strategic planning in the city.

It is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments from over 100 countries, committed to sustainable urban development. It drives local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.

With the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ICLEI promotes peer exchange, partnerships and capacity building to create systemic change for urban sustainability.

Rosario has been a member of ICLEI since 2016 and, within this network, has developed several initiatives and projects related to sustainable urban development.

This association was created in 2011 by government leaders and civil society advocates to promote accountable, transparent, and inclusive governance.

It includes 68 countries and a growing number of local governments, as well as many civil society organizations.
 

Rosario joined the Local Program of Open Government Partnership in 2020. This gives the Municipality of Rosario access to an orientation and training program, based on experiences from all over the world, to design and implement reforms in order to allow citizens to have access to public information, as well as to participate directly in the decision-making process.