The Dialogue between Ministers and Mayors on Achieving the SDGs Took Place in Strasbourg within the framework of UCLG

On 23-26 May 2018 the delegation of UCLG-Eurasia took part in the meetings of the Executive Bureau of the United Cities and Local Governments, which were held in the headquarters of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and were organized together with UN-Habitat for the first time. Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of UCLG highlighted the iconic moment for the organization for having coordinated the Executive Bureau together with UN-Habitat. This High-Level Dialogue will contribute to the High-Level Political Forum assessment of SDG 11.

The meetings were held in the form of high-level political debates with the participation of ministers, governors and mayors under the theme “Inclusive and Safe Cities: Key for Sustainable Development”. The event focused on the participation of local and regional governments in the achievement of SDGs.

The Eurasian section was represented by Rasikh Sagitov, Secretary-General of UCLG-Eurasia, Alena Gubanova, Mayor of Astrakhan, Zinaida Neyarokhina, Vice-President of UCLG-Eurasia, Chairperson of the City Duma of Rostov-on-Don, Galina Skripka, Head of the Department for International and Inter-Municipal Relations of the City of Rostov-on-Don. 
The first day of the Executive Bureau kicked off with a meeting of the UCLG Secretaries General to revise the work programme of the network as a whole and identify priorities and synergies for action. The day followed with a meeting of the Working Group on Territorial and Management of Crises where members defined the agenda for 2018.

The second day began with a meeting of national delegations on Country Implementation of SDG 11 organized by UN-Habitat inaugurated by Parks Tau, President of UCLG, and Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat. This meeting of national delegations was organised by UN-Habitat entitled “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. Ministers presented their progress about the implementation of SDG 11 in their respective country.

The main focus of the day was the meeting of the Policy Council on the Right to the City and Inclusive Territories and the Policy Council on Opportunities for All. Both meetings hosted a High-Level Dialogue between Mayors and Ministers. The Policy Council on Right to the City addressed topics such as adequate housing, migration and gender equality and members shared their views and policies on the Right to the City and its implementation. The session of the Policy Council on Opportunities for All revolved on how to protect the core values of culture, citizens’ participation and promote solidarity and peace as the bases for sustainable development.

At the official reception Roland Ries, Co-president of UCLG, Mayor of the city of Strasburg, received memorable souvenirs from the Rostov-on-Don delegation.
 
The last day of the Executive Bureau saw the meetings of the Policy Councils on Multilevel Governance and Resilient Cities. As the previous day, the sessions hosted a High-Level Dialogue between Mayors and Ministers co-organised with UN-Habitat, the Global Taskforce and United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) and where participants discussed about different policies and their consequences at the different levels of government.

The discussions of the Policy Council on Multilevel Governance focused on the territorial approach to development. Mayors and Ministers discussed how to build governance capabilities, implement effective partnerships and ensure accountable and transparent governance.

The Policy Council on Resilience focused on opportunities and responses to emerging urban areas for inclusive, safe resilient and sustainable territories. This dialogue, organised in the framework of the Talanoa Dialogue, also approached environmental policies to improve sustainability and resilience in urban settlements as well as responsible consumption and production.

Another highlight of the day was the High-Level Dialogue “Linking the Global Goals with the New Urban Agenda Implementation” organised in partnership with UNACLA and with the Global Taskforce. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, opened the session where participants provided inputs on the state of affairs of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in their own territory, constituency or country.

The day concluded with the Business Session of the Executive Bureau. Members of the Bureau analysed the progress made on the 2018 Work Plan and a UCLG Strategy on Localizing Finance for Sustainable Urbanization. Zinaida Neyarokhina, Vice-President of UCLG-Eurasia, Chairperson of the City Duma of Rostov-on-Don presented a report on the activities of the section.

In her speech, Zinaida Neyarokhina noted that UCLG-Eurasia will continue working on preserving the cities heritage and on developing cultural tourism. The section is actively working on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals in the Eurasian cities. To ensure this work, a "Glossary of International Terms" was created. It aims to explain the meaning of the basic terms and concepts commonly used in international discussions.
The winners of the 3rd Edition of the International Award UCLG-Mexico City-Culture 21 were announced to the members by the secretary of Culture of the City of Mexico and co-chair of the UCLG Committee of Culture. The co-winners are: the City of Seongbuck, Republic of Korea and the City of Lyon, France in the City category. The Jury also decided to give a special mention to the Cities of Dublin, Hamilton, Montevideo, Nablus, Novosibirsk and Saha-gu. The Award Ceremony will take place on 18-20 October 2018 in Mexico City. 
Next meetings of the World Council will be held in Madrid in conjunction with the 2nd Word Forum on Urban Violence and Education for Coexistence and Peace.

29.05.2018

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