Think Tank ‘From Global to Local’

PRIMO and UDITE | 2013

Gérard Combe and Jack Kruf, both board members of the international PRIMO Europe association, coined in Brussels the idea to bring global developments to local governments via a think tank concept. It was elaborated and applied in close cooperation with Ronny Frederickx (UDITE) and Eric Frank (PRIMO Nederland). It was agreed it would be a formal collaboration were content meets craftsmanship.

The Federation of European Local Government Chief Executives (UDITE), the foremost professional network for Chief Executives and senior managers in the public sector in Europe and PRIMO Europe, the leading international network for the development of products and the dissemination of knowledge and strategic risk management information for the local government sector and the public sector in Europe, actually joined forces to launch the Think Tank ‘From Global to Local’. It is considered as a formal common project of both organisations.

The first Think Tank was organised for in Amsterdam in 2014, this in close cooperation with Eric Frank, director of PRIMO Nederland.

The purpose of this project is to promote and encourage a greater understanding and exchange of knowledge, ideas and expertise on the impact of global public risks on local communities and cities.

The Think Tank was actively introduced and promoted throughout the PRIMO Europe and UDITE networks in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands and United Kingdom.

This initiative is focused on local strategic governance and the management of public values and risks. It is set to develop and enhance the ingenuity and resourcefulness of local communities and cities across Europe in general and the management by local government chief executives and senior professionals in particular.

The Think Tank has initially been inspired by the yearly Global Risks Reports of the World Economic Forum, and was strongly motivated by the knowledge that in the view of PRIMO Europe and UDITE, global risks are not that well connected with and embedded in local public governance.

The Think Tank was designed with the specific purpose of raising awareness of the relevance, knowledge and practice of strategic risk management as a an integral part of good public governance, and involving much more than preventing losses and reducing costs. The results are suggestions for concrete action for governance and management.

The Think Tank incorporates a set of round tables with a selected group of representatives from government, non-government, business and science. The results are internationally presented and published on website and media. Both organisations did seek partnerships with selected public organisations and business partners to develop a high standard of dialogue and reporting.