Ten years ago, 12 cities officially creating the Global Cities Dialogue and thus launched a unique international network of local authorities, committing themselves to learn from each other and work together on issues related to the Information Society. Many others joined along the way, convinced of the role cities can play in the field of the new Information and Communication Technologies, willing to take up the challenge and contribute to the bustling global discussions on the topic.

The GCD was born out of the will to shape the future of the Information Society. It is now well known that technological progress and innovation are long-term drivers of economic growth. The result of our commitment is today an association counting almost 200 members and several partner organisations.

There is no restriction on the maximum number of members of the organisation. However, there must be a minimum of three.

Members of the Organisation are comprised as follows:
1. founding members;
2. full members;
3. active full members;
4. observer members;
5. active observer members.

Active full members differ from the full members in the sense that the former pays a voluntary annual subscription. The active observer members differ from the observer members in the same way. It is possible to admit as members judicial persons legally constituted in accordance with the laws and customs of their countries of origin and actively involved in the Information Society.

The GCD has grown into a key platform for local authorities willing to provide as many citizens as possible with access to information and in the same vein to improve digital inclusion with the help of digital solidarity. Our platform offers ways of sharing experiences and cooperating on specific issues, which is nowadays definitely the right approach to effectively deal with challenges, changes and opportunities the cities are confronted with.