Cardiff is to host a major international summit in 2011 which will be attended by heads of government and senior local government decision-makers from across the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Local Government Conference is the most important event in the local government calendar. It is expected to attract around 500 high-level decision-makers including ministers responsible for local government, mayors and council leaders from Africa, the Carribbean, Europe and the Pacific.

The announcement that Cardiff is to host the conference was made by council leader Councillor Rodney Berman, Carl Wright, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and Councillor John Davies, leader of the Welsh Local Government Association.

Councillor Berman said: "It will be an important occasion not just for Wales but for the rest of the UK as it will give us the chance to show how the public sector has helped to drive forward regeneration and work to safeguard investment and job creation in our communities.

At this time of economic uncertainty it is imperative that local government explores how we can work together to improve public services and learn best practice from each other. In Cardiff we have always believed in the importance of connecting with cities across the globe and to understand the opportunities that exist on this scale to unlock funding and resources to enbale us to better reach our aim of delivering a world class quality of life capital city for Wales."

Mayor Zenaida Moya-Flowers, Chairperson of the CLGF, said, "This conference is CLGF's flagship event that brings together our members, including key players in local government from across the Commonwealth.

Local Government must become more confident and strive for continuous improvement to shape our cities and towns and improve the quality of life and aspirations of the two billion people who live in the Commonwealth. the conference is a unique opportunity for knowledge-sharing, for delegates to learn from their peers on innovations, how problems have been solved and good practice.

We look forward to visiting Cardiff and hearing about some of the good practice there, including around devolution and their plans for the Cardiff vision 2033."

Leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, Cllr John Davies said "We congratulate Cardiff Council for its outstanding achievement in bringing such a prestigious event to Wales. This conference is recognised as one of the most important events in the international calendar and by hosting it, Cardiff's presence as an international city will be significantly raised. This is a unique opportunity for every local authority in Wales to put themselves on the world map and showcase their commitment to achieving public service excellence, economic prosperity and community vitality."