UCLG: Legal frameworks must be reformed for leaders

The legal frameworks currently restricting city leaders' decision-making need reform, Emilia Saiz, Secretary-General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), said at the Global Launch of the Master in City Administration (MCA) Program held within the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

The Secretary-General stressed that future local and regional leaders must be equipped with tools to question the legal frameworks they operate under: "While they must work within existing frameworks, part of their responsibility in serving future generations will be to ask whether those frameworks are truly fit for purpose. I believe they are simply not adequate. This must be a major part of the equation. Leadership is essential to make this possible."

Saiz added that many of the challenges leaders face are directly linked to global issues: "We must ensure the new generation of local leaders understands that their responsibilities extend beyond their territories, their borders, and even some of the boundaries we know today. If we do not create a space to teach this, we will face repeated failures. But with the MCA program presented today, I hope we can already see the professionalization that comes with the framework we are introducing."