Introduction
Although winter poses many challenges to the citizens of winter cities, it is also a blessing that brings much charm and allure to our cities. For instance, snow, which is an affluent source of water supply and a tourism resource in winter, is a precious asset for the citizens of winter cities. Under the philosophy, “winter is a resource and an asset,” the first Mayors Conference was convened in Sapporo in 1982, and activities of the association have since continued on with the purpose of providing an opportunity for officials of northern cities gather together, discuss face-to-face, and share knowledge on city planning and other common problems that often face cities with harsh cold and heavy snowfall.
In recent years, progress of globalization and advanced information technology has greatly changed the environment around us. The transfer of goods and services across boarders is expanding on a global scale and more and more people are traveling internationally. The interdependence of the international community is rapidly advancing along with the development of information and communication technologies. In light of this, intercity networks such as ours are becoming increasingly important.
What is the WWCAM?
The World Winter Cities Association for Mayors (WWCAM) is a network that brings together winter cities of the world to meet and learn from each other about winter technologies and experiences under the slogan "Winter is a Resource and an Asset." Formerly called the Northern Intercity Conference, the association was initiated by the City of Sapporo in 1981 and the first Mayors Conference was held the following year. In 2004, aiming for further development of the association, the name was changed to World Winter Cities Association for Mayors. As members of the international community, mayors of winter cities gather together under one roof to share information and technologies useful for comfortable winter living and address issues facing the world that we all must collaborate together to deal with, such as global environmental issues. Interaction between cities with similar cold, snowy environments leads to the creation of both tangible and intangible assets for each city. The WWCAM has also been a registered NGO with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC) (formerly the Department of Public Information (DPI)).
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What we do
Information on our main activities and projects of the association/our member cities can be found here.
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Outcomes
Outcomes of past Mayors Conferences and info on what member cities have achieved can be found here.
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Become a Member
Information to become a Member can be found here
