World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders kicks off in Morocco

(KZN.RU, October 3, by Renat Shirmanov) The grand opening of the 4th Summit of Local and Regional Leaders was held in the Moroccan capital of Rabat. The heads of the world's largest cities are in attendance, including Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin. Within a few business days of the summit, leadership of the United Cities and Local Governments will be chosen and a strategy for international cooperation after 2015 will be developed.

Similar events are held every three years. The current summit is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the international municipal movement and is the most numerous yet, with more than 3,000 members of the executive bodies of the world's municipal and regional governments participating.

Among those present are New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, the head of the Government of Mexico City Mancera Miguel Angel Espinosa and Mayor of Istanbul and UCLG President Kadir Topbas and many other leading politicians. The Mayor of Rabat, Fathallah Oualalou, greeted the participants on behalf of King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

One of the key issues of the summit, whose theme is “Imagine Society, Build Democracy”,  is to develop communication strategies among cities around the world after 2015, as well as to develop the agenda for the "UN Millennium Development Goals".

One of the main events of the summit was the meeting of the Eurasian branch of United Cities and Local Governments. Ilsur Metshin reported on the activities of the UCLG Eurasian section in 2012-2013.

The Kazan Mayor stressed that the balance between the states and local interests is possible only thanks to the productive activities of municipalities. In this regard, UCLG is a unique and important geopolitical organization.

Ilsur Metshin deems it necessary to consider the Eurasian regional branch of UCLG an important aspect of the organization growth. "By uniting the cities and local governments of the 12 Eurasian countries, we continually grow qualitatively and quantitatively. Whereas in 2006 we had 39 members, there are 106 participants now. During the past three years, we have conducted numerous congresses and conferences and 14 workshops in different cities of Eurasia," said I. Metshin.

"A good example of our work is the Eurasian Urban Forum, which took place in July last year. It gathered more than 300 participants from 79 cities in more than 30 countries. We shared our experience in the development of public services, innovation, and heritage conservation. Top experts from the UN, UNESCO and UCLG delivered lectures at the Forum," reminded the Mayor of Kazan.

Among the most important tasks of the Eurasian branch in the near future is promotion of democracy, integration and cooperation for the purpose of urban and regional development, believes Ilsur Metshin.