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)).
Historical Background
Greeting from the President
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 since then it has taken place biennially with the purpose of giving fellow mayors, the CEOs of city management, an opportunity to 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 this manner, outcomes of the past conferences have been adopted into city planning.
Your understanding of the WWCAM philosophy and activities through this website is greatly appreciated, as it is a way to mutually work towards our goal of creating comfortable winter cities together. Therefore, I cordially invite you to become a member of the World Winter Cities Association for Mayors.
President, World Winter Cities Association for Mayors
Mayor of Sapporo
Akimoto Katsuhiro
WWCAM Activities
World Winter Cities Conference for Mayors
The biennial World Winter Cities Conference for Mayors (Mayors Conference), a major activity of the association, provides a forum for mayors and city administrators to share expertise and experience on city planning, urban transportation in winter, snow removal, recycling, winter tourism, and other topics common to member cities.
Participants gain valuable suggestions on comfortable city planning and techniques to overcome challenges caused by harsh climates. The site of the Mayors Conference rotates among member cities willing to host the event.
Fourteenth Conference, Maardu (2010)
| Conference | Host City | Period | Participants |
| First Conference | Sapporo, Japan | Feb. 7-10, 1982 | 30 cities, 6 countries |
| Second Conference | Shenyang, China | Sep. 19-22, 1985 | 16 cities, 6 countries |
| Third Conference | Edmonton, Canada | Feb. 13-15, 1988 | 20 cities, 13 countries |
| Fourth Conference | Tromso, Norway | Mar. 2-4, 1990 | 22 cities, 11 countries |
| Fifth Conference | Montreal, Canada | Jan. 17-21, 1992 | 47 cities, 12 countries |
| Sixth Conference | Anchorage, United States | Mar. 5-10, 1994 | 30 cities, 10 countries |
| Seventh Conference | Winnipeg, Canada | Feb. 9-12, 1996 | 33 cities, 9 countries |
| Eighth Conference | Harbin, China | Jan. 15-18, 1998 | 49 cities, 10 countries |
| Ninth Conference | Lulea/Kiruna, Sweden | Feb. 12-16, 2000 | 26 cities, 10 countries |
| Tenth Conference | Aomori, Japan | Feb. 7-10, 2002 | 28 cities, 13 countries |
| Eleventh Conference | Anchorage, United States | Feb. 18-22, 2004 | 27 cities, 11 countries |
| Twelfth Conference | Changchun, China | Jan. 15-18, 2006 | 29 cities, 13 countries |
| Thirteenth Conference | Nuuk, Greenland | Jan. 18-20, 2008 | 22 cities, 8 countries |
| Fourteenth Conference | Maardu, Estonia | Jan. 20-22, 2010 | 18 cities, 11 countries |
| Fifteenth Conference | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Jan. 13-15, 2012 | 13 cities, 7 countries |
| Sixteenth Conference | Hwacheon, Republic of Korea | Jan. 16-18, 2014 | 12 cities, 4 countries |
| Seventeenth Conference | Sapporo, Japan | Jul. 27-30, 2016 | 32 cities, 8 countries |
| Eighteenth Conference | Shenyang, China | Sep. 12-13, 2018 | 46 cities, 21 countries |
| Nineteenth Conference | Rovaniemi, Finland | Nov. 5, 15-16, 2021 | 21 cities, 7 countries |
| Twentieth Conference | Sapporo, Japan | Dec. 17-21, 2024 | 21 cities, etc., 8 countries |
Winter EXPO & Winter Cities Forum
The host city of a Mayors Conference may organize a Winter Expo and a Winter Cities Forum in conjunction with the conference.
The Winter Expo plays an important role as a stage of economic exchange for winter cities. Cooperation between the host city and its businesses and organizations brings forth an exhibition of various winter- and snow-related machines and products at the Expo, introducing a wide range of technology.
The Winter Cities Forum provides experts and academic researchers in various fields, as well as citizens, with an opportunity to make presentations regarding winter lifestyle and city planning, and exchange their views with other participants.
Since the third conference in 1988, these events have been held in conjunction with each of the Mayors Conferences, which has greatly increased the scale and significance of the World Winter Cities Conference for Mayors.
Winter Expo
Working-Level Officials Meetings
Working-Level Officials Meetings allow senior administrators of member cities to meet and discuss the theme of an upcoming Mayors Conference, as well as issues related to the management of conferences.
| Meeting | Host City | Duration | Participants |
| 2002 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Jul. 3-4, 2002 | 10 cities from 7 countries |
| 2003 WLOM Meeting | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Sep. 13-16, 2003 | 9 cities from 6 countries |
| 2004 WLOM Meeting | Changchun, China | Jul. 15-17, 2004 | 10 cities from 6 countries |
| 2005 WLOM Meeting | Taebaek, Republic of Korea | Jul. 13-15, 2005 | 12 cities from 8 countries |
| 2006 WLOM Meeting | Nuuk, Greenland | Jul. 25-27, 2006 | 6 cities from 5 countries |
| 2007 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Jul. 26-28, 2007 | 12 cities from 8 countries |
| 2008 WLOM Meeting | Prince George, Canada | Aug. 21-22, 2008 | 12 cities from 9 countries |
| 2009 WLOM Meeting | Tromso, Norway | Aug. 19-21, 2009 | 9 cities from 6 countries |
| 2010 WLOM Meeting | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Jul. 8-10, 2010 | 9 cities from 6 countries |
| 2011 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Jul. 29-30, 2011 | 11 cities from 7 countries |
| 2012 WLOM Meeting | Hwacheon, Republic of Korea | Aug. 3-5, 2012 | 12 cities from 6 countries |
| 2013 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Aug. 1-2, 2013 | 13 cities from 7 countries |
| 2015 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Jul. 30-31, 2015 | 14 cities from 6 countries |
| 2018 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Jan. 25-26, 2018 | 15 cities from 5 countries |
| 2019 WLOM Meeting | Norilsk, Russia | Nov. 14-17, 2019 | 17 cities from 7 countries |
| 2024 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Jan. 30-31, 2024 | 8 cities from 4 countries |
| 2026 WLOM Meeting | Sapporo, Japan | Jan. 19-20, 2026 | 6 cities and organizations from 3 countries |
Subcommittees
The WWCAM subcommittees conduct research and case studies and exchange information on winter technology.
The subcommittees for “Waste Reduction and Recycling,” “Winter Recreation and Tourism,” “Sustainable Winter Cities Planning,” and “Measures Against Terrorism in Northern Cities” are examples of WWCAM subcommittees that have compiled reports on their research.
| Name | Active During | Secretariat |
| Winter Urban Environmental Research | Mar. 1990-Sep. 1993 | Sapporo |
| Winter Net | Mar. 1994-Jan. 1998 | Edmonton |
| Waste Reduction and Recycling | Mar. 1994-Feb. 2000 | Lulea |
| Winter Recreation and Tourism | Feb. 1996-Feb. 2000 | Anchorage |
| Economic Expansion | Feb. 1996-Feb. 2000 | Tromso |
| Snow Management | Feb. 2000-Feb. 2004 | Prince George |
| Countermeasures against Natural Disasters | Feb. 2000-Feb. 2004 | Sapporo |
| Sustainable Winter Cities Planning | Feb. 2002-Jan. 2006 | Aomori |
| Measures against Terrorism in Northern Cities | Feb. 2002-Jan. 2006 | Anchorage |
| Winter City Environmental Issues | Jan. 2006-Jan. 2010 | Sapporo |
| City Operations for Mitigation of Global Climate Change | Jan. 2006-Jan. 2010 | Anchorage |
| Environmental Protection | Jan. 2010-Jan. 2014 | Changchun |
| Arctic Design | Feb. 2015-Nov. 2021 | Rovaniemi |
Revitalization Project
At the eleventh Mayors Conference in Anchorage in 2004, it was resolved that Collaborative Projects such as tourism promotion and cultural exchange will be carried out. Details of the projects will be decided at the Working-Level Officials Meetings.
For past projects, Member Cities have cooperated to promote tourism in each city.
Collaborative Projects
| Project | Venue | Duration of Events | Participants |
| Tourism Promotion 2002* | Yokohama, Japan | Sept. 20-22, 2002 | 9 cities from 6 countries |
| Tourism Promotion 2004 | Yokohama, Japan | Sept. 24-26, 2004 | 6 cities from 4 countries |
| Tourism Promotion 2005 | Yokohama, Japan | Sept. 22-24, 2005 | 6 cities from 5 countries |
| Tourism Promotion 2006 | Beijing, China | June 22-24, 2006 | 5 cities from 3 countries |
Documents
Charter
Japanese (as of September, 2018)
WWCAM Pamphlet
This pamphlet includes information on all WWCAM activities as well as an outline of the organization, and is available in five languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Russian.
English
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Korean
Russian
*To save the file, right click and select “Save target as”.
Results of the past conferences are also available: Japanese (PDF), English (PDF)
Organization & Administration
Composition
The World Winter Cities Association for Mayors consists of member cities represented by the mayor of each city.
Officials
One President, three Vice-Presidents (one each from North/South America, Asia/Oceania, and Europe), two Directors and one Auditor are elected by the General Assembly.
Current officials (as of January 2024)
| President | Mayor of Sapporo, Japan |
| Vice-Presidents | Mayor of Edmonton (North/South America) |
| Mayor of Hwacheon, Republic of Korea (Asia/Oceania) | |
| Mayor of Rovaniemi, Finland (Europe) | |
| Directors | Mayor of Sapporo, Japan |
| Mayor of Norilsk, Russia | |
| Auditor | Mayor of Harbin, China |
General Assembly
The General Assembly, which is the ultimate decision-making organ, is convened by the President every two years in conjunction with the Mayors Conference to ratify the budgets and project plans of the association.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is convened by the President every two years, as necessary, in conjunction with the General Assembly.
Secretariat
The secretariat is located in the International Relations Department, General Affairs Bureau of the City of Sapporo, Japan, and the Secretary-General is the Director General of the Mayor’s Office of the City of Sapporo.
Secretariat
World Winter Cities Association for Mayors
c/o International Relations Department, City of Sapporo
Kita 1, Nishi 2, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-8611 Japan
Tel: +81-11-211-2032, Fax: +81-11-218-5168
E-mail: wwcam@city.sapporo.jp
Operation of Association
The expenses necessary for implementing projects of the association are covered by the revenue of the association, such as membership fees, contributions, balances carried forward from the previous year, and other sources. Part of the expenses of operating the Mayors Conference, Working-Level Officials Meeting, Subcommittees, Revitalization Projects and secretariat are covered by the income of the association.
Outcomes in Member Cities
We have collected stories from member cities, where they share their views about the significance of the WWCAM network and related activities.
