JOINT WEBINAR ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Joint Webinar of Civic Engagement was held within the scope of the KATILIYORUZ Program, which is jointly carried out by United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) and NDI Turkey on 5 May 2021. In the webinar organized with the contributions of the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD) to showcase best civic engagement practices from the perspective of local leaders, Pedro Palacios, Mayor of Cuenca in Ecuador; Pilar Diaz, Mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat in Spain; and Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen in Morocco were among the webinar’s speakers.

During the event which took place following the UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau Meeting, Pilar Diaz, Mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat, was the first speaker to take the floor. “Digital engagement and digital channels is an opportunity to make better policies using available data, however, we must think about the risks of who manages and owns all the data,” said Diaz.

After the Mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat in Spain, Pedro Palacios, Mayor of Cuenca in Ecuador made his presentation. During his presentation, Mayor Palacios highlighted that Cuenca's participatory budgeting is an effective mechanism for territorial redistribution within the municipality and a way to engage citizens in local development and environmental resilience.

Lastly, Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen in Morocco, took the floor, explaining that the local development strategy with a focus on ecological and cultural tourism has been implemented through dialogue with civil society and participation in various thematic councils. The 2-hour webinar came to an end with a Q&A session.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 CONDOLENCE: TERROR ATTACK | ISTANBUL

United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) strongly condemns the terrorist attack resulting in civilian casualties on November 13th in Istanbul, which also hosts the Organization's Secretariat. UCLG-MEWA stays firmly against any terroristic attempt that threatens or disrupts the region's peace, security, and stability. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wish for a speedy recovery for those injured. In this regard, we express our sincere gratitude to our well-wishers and friends in the local governments for their condolence messages.

 UCLG-MEWA TRAINING ON URBAN RESILIENCE, NOVEMBER 1-2

“Training on Urban Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction for Arab Cities” organized by UCLG-MEWA, UCLG Learning, UNDRR, and ATO will take place on 1-2 November in Dibba Al Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

 UCLG-MEWA EXECUTIVE BUREAU TO CONVENE IN NOVEMBER

The Executive Bureau Meeting of the United Cities and Local Governments, Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) will be held on 23-24 November 2022, hosted by Gebze Municipality at Bilişim Vadisi (Technology Development Zone).

 6TH TEHRAN GOLDEN ADOBE AWARD HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED

The 6th Tehran Golden Adobe Award, organized by Tehran Municipality in cooperation with United Nations Human Settlement Program (UNHABITAT), will be held in Tehran on 31 October-1 November. The Award will focus on “People-Oriented Development, Social Dynamism and Cultural Inclusion in City.” The project entries can be submitted to the website until 7 October. .

 NEW ISSUE OF MEWA AGORA: DECENTRALIZED COOPERATION

The second issue of the UCLG-MEWA quarterly magazine MEWA Agora is out. The issue with the main focus on Decentralized Cooperation includes the Feature on cities’ development cooperation in the MEWA Region, the Opinion piece by Sogen Moodley from the Durban University of Technology, the Interview with Tayseer Abu Sneineh, the new president of UCLG-MEWA, and "Wastewater and Municipal Water Systems Management" good practice on decentralized cooperation.

 SUMMER SCHOOL ON URBAN MANAGEMENT IN IRAN

Tehran Municipality’s initiative Asian Mayors Forum, cooperating with Allameh Tabataba’i University from Iran, will be organizing its first international Summer School on Urban Management.

 UCLG-MEWA WILL BE IN GIRNE WITH GENDER EQUALITY AGENDA

UCLG-MEWA Committee on Gender Equality will organize its first program with the new committee presidency after UCLG-MEWA Congress’22. The program will be held on 5 August 2022, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) under the auspices of the Municipality of Girne

 CALL FOR ACTION: EARTHQUAKE IN AFGHANISTAN

UCLG-MEWA expresses grave concern and sympathies towards the families of the victims of the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan that hit the country's Paktika Province on June 21 and resulted in more than a thousand deaths and many more injuries.

 Iran Smart City Expo 2022

You are all invited to the 3rd Iran Smart City Expo & Conference, which will take place between July 3-5, 2022. The program, hosted by the help of the Ministry of Interior of Iran, aims to develop participants’ networks and provides capacity building opportunities on “Smart City Policies/Practices”.

 Tehran Twin Cities Festival

Tehran Municipality invites its Twin Cities to participate in the 1st Festival and Exhibition of Sister and Twin Cities of Tehran between 5-9 July 2022, to share experiences and display their capabilities and opportunities for joint projects and bilateral or multilateral cooperation.

UCLG-MEWA
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