The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a non-governmental global association of professional city and regional planners. It was founded in 1965 in a bid to bring together recognised and highly qualified spatial planners in an international network. The first president of ISOCARP was its co-founder Prof. Sam van Embden (1965-1975). The Society has over 700+ individual and institutional members from more than +85 countries. ISOCARP is currently presided by Martin Dubbeling (NL) together with 11 members of the Board and Executive Committee from around the World with a Head Office located in The Hague, Netherlands. ISOCARP is formally accredited as an NGO by the United Nations and the Council of Europe and has a formal consultative status as a recognised NGO with UNESCO. Additionally, ISOCARP has multiple Memoranda of Understanding with a plethora of international partner organisations and institutions. About The objectives of ISOCARP include the improvement of cities and planning practice through the creation of a global and active network of practitioners by the exchange of experience, training, education and research. It promotes the planning profession in all its aspects and enhances public awareness and understanding of major planning issues at a global level. ISOCARP has a strong record and reputation on a number of regular activities including its annual World Planning Congress, a strong series of publications, awards for best practices, training programmes and workshops for professional support in urban planning, amongst others. In 2016 the ISOCARP Institute, Centre for Urban Excellence emerged as the "research spin-off" of ISOCARP, operating on three pillars: Practice, Research and Academy. The Institute's prime objectives include: strengthening cross-border collaboration globally; upholding professional excellence in planning; advancing sustainable planning; increasing awareness of major development trends and promoting best practices; all while serving as an “Urban Think Tank” facilitating the generation and dissemination of knowledge for better cities. Although ISOCARP members, planners and other stakeholders involved in the development and maintenance of the built environment, work in many different fields, they share a common interest in the spatial and environmental dimensions of urbanisation. They advise key decision-makers, proposing and supporting projects for intervention in various spatial contexts. ISOCARP is a politically and commercially independent world-wide organisation. World Congress ISOCARP's most prominent event is the annual World Planning Congress. Since 1965 such congresses have taken place world-wide on globally-significant cutting edge topics promoting knowledge creation and sharing in the planning profession.