The congress of the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments
opened today in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. The event is timed to the second
session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly held on the same days. Ilsur
Metshin, President of the UN Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA),
Mayor of Kazan, spoke at the opening of the Assembly.
“Today we must make further efforts to form a New Urban Agenda as the
most important building block for the implementation of Sustainable Development
Goals and emphasize the role of localization as a catalyst for all global
development programs. As a president of UNACLA, I undertake to make every
effort in this direction,”- Ilsur Metshin said in his address to the delegates
of the session.
He noted that this agenda is addressed directly to cities and regions: “This
agenda serves for people, for the planet, for local democracy, for governance
in partnership. This is a program to achieve the transformations we need.”
Ilsur Metshin also noted that now only a few countries are in a similar political
situation and have the opportunity to implement Urban Agenda. “It is necessary
for everyone to move in this direction in order to preserve and promote common
goods, especially air, water and soil, and to realize the right to effective
access to vital resources,”- he said.
In his speech, Ilsur Metshin emphasized the main areas of work to capacity
building of local and regional governments. Among them are the activation of
partnerships for multi–level and intersectoral governance and the promotion of
more effective planning and innovation, the release of financial resources to fill
the investment gap in the interests of local economic development and a
sustainable, inclusive and resilient global economy, the increased
participation of local and regional governments in national coordination
mechanisms for the implementation of sustainable development goals.
“We will face new challenges. In preparation for the Sustainable
Development Goals Summit, our voices should be heard louder than ever,”- Ilsur
Metshin added.
UN Member States, specialized agencies and related UN organizations,
various intergovernmental organizations, representatives of local and regional
authorities will take part in the Assembly. The Executive Director of
UN-Habitat Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Soria (Spain), UCLG Envoy for the New
Urban Agenda Carlos Martinez, the President of the South African Local
Government Association Bheke Stofile, the President of the Habitat International
Coalition Adriana Allen and mayors of cities took part in the opening ceremony.
The Assembly will discuss the implementation of the urban development
program and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
For reference: WALRG is officially recognized by the UN General
Assembly. The World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments was defined by
the Quito Declaration in 2016 as a mechanism for analyzing and monitoring the
implementation of a new urban development program.