Mayor of Kazan and Akim of Astana Have Been Elected to the High-Ranking Posts

Today, VII UCLG World Congress has come to an end. It has become productive for UCLG-Eurasia, thanks to the election of Eurasia representatives to the UCLG’s governing bodies.

The last day of VII UCLG World Congress began with the working session “What Will Be the 2030 Agenda? Tools for Local and Regional Governments”. The objective of this session was to introduce new and consider existing mechanisms that would enable cities and territories to take another step forward in implementing the 2030 Agenda, offering more inclusive services to their citizens and building public confidence. In addition, the session regarded how the Sustainable Development Goals had transformed public management at the local level, supporting long-term planning and focusing on local needs and priorities.

First Deputy Chairman of Dushanbe Jamshed Tabarzoda told about the implementation of the project “Green City” in Dushanbe: “The project “Green City” is aimed at greening and improving the city, its environmental situation, carrying out ecological campaigns for seedlings planting, fostering responsibility of citizens for the state of green zones and park areas of the city, and environmental protection”.

The next session of the Congress was “The Future of Food Systems: Guaranteeing the Right to Food for All”. Participants discussed the ways to develop and strengthen joint strategies taking into account the key milestones of 2023. The dialogue on next steps helped to formulate recommendations for local and regional governments to take the lead in implementing commitments emanating from the United Nations Food Systems Summit.

Deputy Mayor of Astana Yerlan Bekmurzaev was the speaker from UCLG-Eurasia. In his report, the Deputy Mayor noted how the city of Astana was working to strengthen the food security of the city: “In order to ensure the uninterrupted supply of food to the counters of the capital, a number of measures to support domestic producers are implemented, as well as urban markets are transferred to the modern format of trade, commercial premises are reconstructed, digital technologies are introduced”.

At the meeting of the newly elected members of the UCLG World Council, elections of the new leadership of the World Organization “United Cities and Local Governments” were held.

Following long discussions, it was decided that all four candidates for the Presidency of the Organization would take their positions in turn between 2022 and 2026. Mayor of Montevideo Carolina Cosse has become the first for the post of the President of UCLG, Mayor of Konya Uğur İbrahim Altay will be the second, Mayor of the Hague Jan, President of VNG Jan Van Zanen will the third, and the fourth will be Mayor of Daejeon Lee Jang-woo.

The Congress was particularly efficient for the Eurasia Region. Thanks to the strong support of the leadership of cities of Mongolia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Eurasia representatives were elected to the highest positions.

It is worth particularly mentioning the important role played by the Union of Local Governments of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Mongolian Association of Local Authorities that carried out significant work in mobilizing the cities of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, respectively, to participate in the UCLG World Congress.

During the meeting of the UCLG World Council, Mayor of Kazan, President of UCLG-Eurasia Ilsur Metshin retained post as President of the UN Advisory Committee of Local Authorities. As a reminder, Ilsur Metshin was first elected to this post in 2019.

As part of the meeting of the UCLG World Council, Mayor of Astana Altai Kulginov was elected as Co-president of UCLG for the period 2022-2026 that will provide the strongest support to the recognition of Astana as the Eurasia’s capital throughout the world.

Now, Eurasia mayors will be able to represent not only their cities and Eurasia, but municipalities of the world at major international forums as well.

The Presidency also includes Mayor of San Jose Johnny Araya, Mayor of Xi’an Li Mingyuan, President of the Matjhabeng Municipality, President of the South African Local Governments Association (SALGA) Bekhe Stofile and Mayor of Kitchener, Honorary President of the Federation of Municipalities of Canada (FCM) Berry Vrbanovich, Mayor of Rabat Asmaa Rhlalou was elected as Treasurer.

Thanks to the efficient work of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Aisen Nikolaev was elected as Vice-President of UCLG for Eurasia for another term.

The General Assembly elected a new World Council for 2022-2026. The World Council is the highest representative body of UCLG composed of 342 representatives of local and regional governments from around the world. From UCLG-Eurasia, the World Council is composed of representatives of the following cities, regions and associations: Bishkek, Magas, Zelenodolsk, Kentau, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian Association of Local Authorities, Agryz, Krasnodar, Perm, Karakol, Chistopol, “Olenek Evenk National District” of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Municipal District Tekstilshchiki in the city of Moscow, Kyzyl, Khabarovsk, Astana, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Osh, Kazan, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Bolgar, Rostov-on-Don, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Ulyanovsk, Jalal-Abad, Dornogovi province, Kaitagsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Turkistan, Grozny, Moscow, Khujand and Ulan-Ude.

The World Council also decided that the next meeting of the World Council in 2023 would be held in Konya on the occasion of the Turkey’s centenary.

14.10.2022

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