World cities body closes 7th triennial conference in Daejeon

About 6,000 representatives from 576 cities in 145 countries adopted a declaration on the prosperity and development of humanity after concluding their five-day conference in the central South Korean city of Daejeon on Friday.

The closing ceremony of a triennial congress of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), an umbrella organization for cities, local and regional governments, and municipal associations around the world, took place at the Daejeon Convention Center in the central city, 140 km south of Seoul.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo speaks during the 7th Congress of the United Cities and Local Governments in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 14, 2022, in this photo provided by the city. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The congress participants have discussed ways to overcome global difficulties, such as infectious diseases, natural disasters due to climate change, wars, disparities and poor quality of life, while focusing on solidarity and cooperation within the world community.

The UCLG also decided that mayors of four cities — Montevideo of Uruguay, Konya of Turkey, The Hague of the Netherlands and Daejeon — will take turns serving as the UCLG president for one-year stints.

The UCLG had previously planned to select one of the four cities’ mayors as its new president.