This year's United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Council kicked off on Nov 9 in Guangzhou and will last until Nov 13.

Jointly hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Guangzhou municipal government, and UCLG, this year's council is being held via video conferencing due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

More than 300 guests at home and abroad are attending the council, including Maimunah Mohd Sharif, deputy secretary general of the United Nations (UN) and executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Mohamed Boudra, mayor of Housaima in Morocco and UCLG president, as well as Lin Songtian, chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

A poster for the UCLG World Council 2020. [Photo/WeChat account: GZWS411665430]