From February 17 to 21, the UCLG Retreat 2025 was held in Barcelona, Spain. Nicholas You, Executive Director of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation (GIUI) and International Consultant to the Guangzhou Award, was invited to attend and shared the GIUI’s findings in the “New Essentials” thematic segment, based on its participation in the preparation of the Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD VII).

Drawing from the chapter contributed by the GIUI to the GOLD VII report, as well as the case studies of 16 outstanding cities from the 6th Guangzhou Award, Nicholas You elaborated on the restructuring of public service systems centered around “care”. He explained how local governments, empowered by technology, community collaboration, and policy innovation, have leveraged overlapping crises to drive governance transformation, building more resilient and inclusive urban governance frameworks. He emphasized the need to distill long-term responsive mechanisms from practical experience to enhance the sustainability of public services.

The conference focused on innovative strategies for local governance amidst global transformations. Experts at the event unanimously agreed that the concept of “New Essentials” provides a key methodology for local governments to reshape public service provision and transform local practices into global governance reference points. These discussions not only clarified the direction for future public service reforms but also highlighted new opportunities for global local governance, contributing localized solutions to enhance the sustainability and equity of cities and regions worldwide.

The UCLG Retreat 2025 is an annual key event aimed at linking the UCLG network with its partners to discuss collaborative efforts and devise action plans based on established work agendas. The five-day meeting provided a platform for city leaders, urban governance experts, and scholars to exchange ideas, innovate, and seek inspiring solutions, with a focus on the value of local experiences in reshaping global governance paradigms.

About the UCLG GOLD Series Reports

The Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralizatio (GOLD) Report is one of the flagship reports of the UCLG, published every three years to analyze the key role of local governments in achieving global agendas and implementing policy practices. This edition of the report, themed around “care,” systematically reviews urban public service innovation cases using multimedia formats and is set to be released in conjunction with key international meetings such as the UN High-level Political Forum.

In this edition (GOLD VII), the chapter contributed by the GIUI focuses on the practices from the 6th Guangzhou Award, highlighting transferable experiences in building urban care systems and providing empirical references for global sustainable development.