Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan and President of the UN
Advisory Committee on local authorities (UNACLA), spoke at the Forum of Mayors
of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 2020 (UNECE) last night.
The event was held in Geneva. Mayors from cities of Europe, North America,
Central Asia and the Caucasus attended it.
This year, UNECE Forum of Mayors is dedicated to strengthening
the resilience of cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The forum participants exchanged views on a number of issues
that are important for most cities in the world.
Ilsur Metshin in his report spoke on the experience of the capital
of Tatarstan in the organization of public transport. “Improving the
sustainability of municipal transport is one of the priorities in creating a
modern and comfortable city. The quality of services provided in public
transport can shift public preferences in favor of this type of transport.
This, in turn, will reduce the traffic load, reduce transport delays and
emissions”, - the Mayor of Kazan stressed.
Ilsur Metshin said that gaseous motor fuel buses are
actively used in the Tatarstan capital, the vehicle fleet is being updated by
purchasing buses meeting high environmental standards, as well as trams and
trolleybuses of a new generation.
The UNACLA President reminded that Kazan has been actively
cooperating with the UN development program since 2013. A comprehensive traffic
management scheme, a single municipal parking space, a new route network scheme
for municipal passenger transport were jointly developed.
In addition, the capital of Tatarstan became a participant of
the UNECE relay on integration of Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European
Program into urban and spatial planning.
The Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, told colleagues from other
cities about changes the city's transport system had to face due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Mayor of Freiburg (Germany) Martin Horn, a
greater challenge for the entire planet than the COVID-19 pandemic remains
climate change caused by humans.
The Mayor of Bern (Switzerland) Alec von Graffenried shared
his experience in resuming active cultural, sports and scientific life in the
city after the quarantine.
The head of Reykjavik (Iceland), Dagur B.Eggertsson,
emphasized in his report that it is crucial to maintain sustainability in three
areas: the economy, the environment and society.