Idealkent Awards found their owners at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris. On behalf of UCLG-MEWA, President Mohamed Saadie and Secretary General Mehmet Duman attended the award ceremony.

The International Forum on Local Solutions to Migration and Displacement was held on 26 and 27th of November in Gaziantep, Turkey.

Training on "Open Data Basics" was organized within the scope of the “Open Data and Smart Cities Project” supported by the UK and run by the NovuSens Big Data Institute on 3 December 2019 at UCLG-MEWA (United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section) office, in Istanbul, Turkey.

The implementation of projects related to the priority areas specified in the UCLG-MEWA’s Strategic Plan for 2020-2022 and accordingly provision of necessary support to the members are among the issues that the Organization attaches importance to in the new period. In this context, institutional capacity building activities were initiated around the projects planned for the next term.

UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau Meeting was held on 6 December 2019 in Izmir, Turkey under the auspices of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.

Istanbul Sustainable Transportation Congress was held on 17-18 December 2019 at Istanbul Congress Center.

The World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments keeps a strong commitment towards the connection between culture and sustainable development. The International Award UCLG – Mexico City – Culture 21, held on a biennial basis, is one of the best examples of this commitment.

Following the Presidency Meeting, UCLG-MEWA Culture and Tourism Committee held its panel session entitled “Alternative Tourism: Trends and Visions” within the scope of Travel Turkey Izmir Fair under the auspices of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. During the panel held on Friday, December 6, 2019, important branches of alternative tourism such as health tourism, congress tourism, gastronomy tourism, ecotourism and urban tourism were discussed in detail by experts.

Sustainable Development Goals take on a different dimension with the project launched by UCLG-MEWA and Human Development Foundation (INGEV).

The renewed Presidency of the UCLG-MEWA Committee on Culture and Tourism gathered from 21 to 23 November 2019 in Kyrenia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, to discuss the three-year program of activities.

From 11 to 15 November, in Durban, South Africa, UCLG has held its World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, one of the largest and most influential meetings of mayors, councilors, local and regional governments and associations worldwide.

UCLG-MEWA Committee on Smart Cities and Urban Mobility Presidency Meeting was held under the presidency of Mr. Mohammed Ezzati Gharibdousti, Deputy Mayor of Tabriz and Co-President of the Committee, in Tehran, Iran on November 3, 2019

UCLG-MEWA Committee on Environment Presidency Meeting has been carried out in Balikesir in 23 October 2019. This has been the first meeting of the presidency after the renewal of the committee management in the UCLG-MEWA in 9-10 July 2019.

Within the scope of localization of global agendas, UCLG-MEWA gathered with municipal personnel and experts in Iran.

Kartepe Summit was held for the third time under the auspices of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, between 25 and 27 October 2019, under the theme of “Urbanization and Happy Cities.” The Summit consisted of an opening special session, four special sessions, fourteen panel-conferences, thirteen academic sessions, two forums and a workshop on “Urban Economy: Work and Employment.”

UCLG-MEWA Presidency Meeting was held on 3 November 2019 in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The meeting was chaired by Mohamed Saadie, President of UCLG-MEWA and the Union of Dannieh Municipalities.

The Extraordinary Meeting of the UCLG Committee on Statutory Affairs was held on 31 October 2019 in Barcelona. The ongoing preparations for the next UCLG Congress were evaluated during the Meeting, and opinions and suggestions on the new Presidency to be determined for the 2019-2022 period were also discussed.

The 5th Water Loss Forum and Exhibition was held between 9 and 11 October 2019 in Ankara, Turkey, where representatives from private sector, municipalities, water administrations and universities came together to discuss strategies, planning and financing issues to prevent water losses.

Government ICT Conference, which was organized for the first time this year, was held on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 in the IT Valley in Gebze.

UCLG-MEWA Committee on Social Inclusion held its Presidency Meeting on 10-11 October 2019 in Mersin, Turkey, hosted by Mersin Metropolitan Municipality, President of the Committee. Vahap Seçer, President of the Committee and Mayor of Mersin, and the Co-Presidents were among the attendees.