Brussels, 20/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - At its meeting in Dakar on Monday 18 January, under the chairmanship of its Secretary General Xavier Gizard, the Executive Bureau of the Forum of Global Associations of Regions (FOGAR) debated its 2009 budget and adopted its proposals for 2010. Joint president of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4SD) Fernando Rei (State of São Paulo, Brazil) reported to the Bureau on the Copenhagen climate conference. He said that the regions had been very active at the Copenhagen summit, with many Presidents of the world's regions in attendance, bearing testimony to the importance of the role of regions in tackling climate change. Rei also announced that the next nrg4SD general assembly would be held in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 20-22 April 2010.
The FOGAR headquarters will be set up in Geneva. A few details remain to be ironed out, but the Canton of Geneva has said that it will make the necessary infrastructure available. Fogar will hold its general assembly in Ecuador on 19-21 July 2010, with the support of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.
With regard to budgets, Head of Communications for the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) Enrico Mayrhofer pointed out that contributions to the FOGAR budget were voluntary and varied depending on the budgets of each member region. In 2008, the total contribution of the regions to the FOGAR budget was €107,929, in 2009, it was €97,587 (of an expected contribution of €104,587) and in 2010, it will be €178,500.
The prospects for follow-up to the Dakar summit were also discussed at the Bureau meeting. Gizard told the Executive Bureau, “We've had a summit, now we need an action plan on cooperation from the regions” on food security, adding that the time available for drafting this plan was from January to July (the FOGAR general assembly taking place in July). (G.B./transl.rt)