Eurasia Regional Section of the World organization "United Cities and Local Governments"
Eurasia Regional Section of the World organization "United Cities and Local Governments"
At the initiative of UCLG a meeting of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and mayors of UCLG (“United cities and local governments”) member cities took place on April 23 in New York. The Mayor of Kazan Ilsur R. Metshin took part in the meeting as both co-president of UCLG and the president of the Eurasian section.
The meeting was attended by the President of UCLG and Mayor of Istanbul (Turkey) Kadir Topbash, the Mayor of Lisbon (Portugal) and Co-President of UCLG, the Mayor of Montreal (Canada) and Vice-President of UCLG, the President of Azuay province (Ecuador) and others. Secretaries-general of UCLG, more specifically Secretary General of UCLG-Eurasia Rasikh Sagitov took part in the meeting as well.
This high-level meeting was held as part of preparation for the Conference on Sustainable Development «Rio+20» which will be held in June in Rio de Janeiro. The delegation of «United Cities and Local Governments» presented their ideas and recommendations aimed at achieving sustainable development of cities and regions to Ban Ki-moon, UN officials, the leaders of the international unions and associations of cities. Along with the Mayor of Kazan, who became the sole representative of Russia, the heads of Istanbul, Lisbon, Montreal, and other cities shared their thoughts at the meeting.
«In my opinion, a very important event has taken place at the UN headquarters today, – said the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin. – Mayors of major cities from all continents discussed the problems of local authorities. There was a rather lively discussion lasting for 4 hours, during which the problems that municipalities face every day were examined. Problems of the world are accumulated in each particular city».
Ilsur Metshin expressed satisfaction about the fact that the United Nations pays so much attention to the problems of municipalities. «The UN –an organization that is said to deal with problems of war and peace – has deigned to the most basic problems», - said the mayor of Kazan. «In many speeches it was said that in a rapidly changing world governments sometimes just do not have enough time to respond to new challenges, but the municipalities have to be at the forefront of all events and assist governments» - said I. Metshin.
Three «round tables» were held during the meeting, following which a joint statement was signed. The document was signed by representatives of UCLG, ICLEI («Local Governments for Sustainability»), an association of major cities «Metropolis», the organization of C40 (association of major cities, working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions), etc.
The statement notes the role of urbanization as a factor of growth of global economy and social development. On the one hand, problems of migration, social inequality, environmental pollution, climate change and youth unemployment are important in cities around the world. On the other hand, urban areas are the cradle of innovative ideas, which currently produce more than 75% of global gross domestic product. In this regard, as it is said in the document, cities need to become more environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically productive.
In the opening address of the meeting, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said to the local and regional authorities: «Your work must deliver practical results that will defeat poverty, protect the natural environment and improve disaster risk reduction».
«It is very important to use the best international practices when dealing with these problems, – said the Mayor of Kazan. – Every city achieves their own success in the field of water supply, waste management, environment, transport, health, education, etc. And it is very important to find the shortest way to solve these problems. There is no way all the problems will be solved simultaneously. It is important to share experiences». Ilsur Raisovich also reported that there was a proposal at the meeting to combine these efforts under the auspices of the UN and create an advisory body under the jurisdiction of the global organization.
The results of the meeting in New York will be the basis for participation of UCLG in the Conference on Sustainable Development «Rio +20». It is expected that this forum will become one of the most important events in the history of the United Nations. The Conference in Rio de Janeiro will be held 20 years after the historic high-level meeting «The Planet Earth» (1992).
24.04.2012
