Local Governance and Leadership in the Age of Globalization Conference

This past September, Creative Learning, in conjunction with the Local Government Academy (LGA) and the Philippines International Institute for Leadership, Performance, and Governance (PHILPG) held the Local Governance and Leadership in the Age of Globalization conference in Washington, DC. During this week-long conference and international bench marking program, Creative Learning hosted a delegation of 14 local government officials from the Philippines consisting of Mayors, Vice-Mayors and Council men and women. Through a series of lectures, tours, and visits with local government officials here in the Greater Washington Area, the program facilitated fruitful dialogue and exchanges about the best practices and challenges in local government. The exchange also featured a tour of the National Mall and meetings with Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia and Senator Mazie Hirono. Stay tuned for the announcement for our next conference in this series!

About

The Local Governance and Leadership in the Age of Globalization Conference is a governance development program designed for public sector local government senior and middle managers from different global governments. Located inside the beltway of Washington D.C, the conference is led by experts and experienced professionals in local government. A special dimension of this conference is that it focuses on the impact of globalization and social media on more effective and more enhanced local governance. This unique conference takes a balanced approach and employs several pedagogical tools such as lecture, interactive workshops, and tours and discussions sessions to immerse the participants in a governance development experience.

Rationale

Governance is defined by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as “the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels. It comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences” (UNESC, 2006).

One of the primary goals of government today is to achieve ‘good governance’. Good governance is characterized by participation, transparency, accountability, following rule of law, efficient and affectivity. And good governance can only be realized if we produce good leaders with better vision and roadmap of development in the Philippines.

In this day and age of an increasingly globalized world, the interface between the national and the global are becoming more pronounced. Climate change, disaster management, food security, maritime security, and other threats to human security need to be addressed and managed between and among other states.

For this reason, there is an imperative for local government leaders and officials to be equipped with necessary tools, skills and knowledge in order to respond effectively to these global issues which have a direct impact to their respective communities.

They must also be updated on the innovative and best governance practices from other countries, through continuing participation in seminars and workshops and linking with other local and international governance networks.

Thus, this learning session on innovation, governance, and leadership is designed to help Filipino local leaders to face the daunting challenges brought by the new global order. This program will also be an opportunity for Filipino local leaders to enhance their leadership skills and improve their governance capabilities on their respective communities.