Regional Secretariats meeting 2017 Metropolis

Executive Committee representatives comply with the mandate established in Montréal

On 15 and 16 November, Barcelona hosted the first meeting between the new members of the Metropolis Executive Committee (President and Co-presidents) and Regional Secretaries (RSs), following their appointment by the Board of Directors in Montréal, on 20 June. The main aim of the gathering was to implement the mandate given by the then-president of the association, Denis Coderre: to bring together an ad hoc working group on financial sustainability, in order to ensure the stability and survival of the association and to find ways of diversifying resources.

The team from the Secretariat General worked together on the topic alongside representatives from the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (Co-president), Berlin (Co-president and RS for Europe), Brussels (Treasury), Mexico City (RS for North America), Dakar (RS for Africa), Gauteng (Co-president), Guangzhou (Co-president and RS for Asia), Montréal (President) and Montevideo (Co-president and RS for Latin America and the Caribbean).

The presence of the Executive Committee was also seized to address the steps that needed to be taken to fill the vacancy for the Metropolis Presidency after 16 November, when Denis Coderre finished his term as Mayor of Montréal. An agreement was reached for this procedure in accordance with the statutes of the association:

“Article 9: In the event of a vacancy or the loss of the elective office by virtue of which the current President represents a member, one of the Co-Presidents will serve as Acting President until the next Board of Directors meeting.”

Similarly, the meeting between the Regional Secretaries served to draw up the objectives of this new mandate, and to look into the challenges faced by the forthcoming virtual extraordinary Board of Directors meeting, as well as the upcoming ordinary Board of Directors meeting scheduled for 2018.

The next meeting of the Regional Secretaries will be held in Brussels in the first semester of 2018, to decide on the discussion points for the 2018 Board of Directors meeting, which will take place in the second half of 2018.