The first International Conference on Local Government (ICLG) was held in 2010 in Khon Kaen, Thailand. At the time, there was much discussion on decentralization, but there was little direction or actual knowledge about how to proceed. Therefore, the topics of discussion at that conference were primarily focused on the issues of devolving and delegating management authority and responsibility to local government at the lower levels within and under the decentralization policy in various countries.

Before the end of that conference, we knew that most, if not all, participants saw potential solutions to the problem of making local government work more effectively and more responsively while being controlled by the strong hand of the central government. Others had had successes in various aspects of this process, so models were available. We realized that we needed a host institution that could endow this conference with the image of a global forum and simultaneously provide an impetus to sustain this conference as an annual academic event. The College of Local Administration at Khon Kaen University was positioned to take on this task. After the first ICLG, the International Association of Local Government Scholars was established.

With the success of the 2^nd ICLG in Durban, South Africa, in 2011, we marked the beginning of the series known as the International Conference on Local Government (ICLG). There was interest among many in transmitting knowledge through a conference venue, but there were some serious financial hurdles. Therefore, the decision was made to host the 3^rd ICLG in Khon Kaen, where it was somewhat easier to get the funding required for hosting a conference of this magnitude.

Subsequent annual conferences were held in Surabaya (4^th ICLG) and Palembang (5th ICLG), both in Indonesia. The ICLG has now become a reputable platform where serious scholars and practitioners in local government from different parts of the world come together to explore ideas and work together. Our mission as professionals who assist in enabling local governing authorities to better serve their citizens, as well as empowering their constituents to make their own choices and have more control of their own lives and their destinies, is becoming a reality.

The 6^th ICLG, in 2015, returned to its birthplace in Khon Kaen with the theme of "Dynamics of City Management: Lessons in citizen engagement, government transparency, and innovative public services.” Since then, the ICLG has been on hiatus due to various logistical obstacles, not the least of which is the COVID pandemic, but we are looking forward to ICLG2022 coming back stronger than ever.