Organised by the Regional Secretariat for Southern Europe and the Mediterranean of the Organisation of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) based in Cordoba, and the Municipal Chamber of Elvas, the meeting took place in this Portuguese city on 12 and 13 December 2023 and was attended by representatives of Angra do Heroísmo, Évora, Porto, Sintra and Elvas, Évora, Oporto, Sintra and Elvas (Portugal), Aranjuez, Baeza, Córdoba and Segovia (Spain), Cidade Velha (Cape Verde), Strasbourg (France), Rhodes (Greece), Vienna (Austria), and Quebec (Canada).

Among the most important projects to be developed in the coming year are those on Crafts and Heritage, the Visual Decontamination of Historic Centres, Trades that restore Heritage, Gastronomy as Intangible Cultural Heritage and the role of Youth and Heritage. It has been agreed to hold the 4th Youth Ambassadors Meeting in the Greek city of Rhodes in April and a new Project Meeting and Collaborative Network on Crafts in the Portuguese city of Porto in June.

The 17th OWHC World Congress will take place at the end of September in Cordoba.

The Regional Secretariat for Southern Europe and the Mediterranean has been coordinated by the city of Cordoba since 2001 and 29 cities from 12 different countries are currently members.