UCLG-MEWA continues to work ensuring a stronger representation for local governments in the MEWA Region.
Being one of the nine sections of United Cities and Local Governments World Organization, UCLG-MEWA held its Congress on 9-10 July 2019 in Amman, Jordan in order to meet the needs of local governments and to ensure a platform for sharing experiences. Within the scope of the program, UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau and Council Joint Meeting and UCLG-MEWA General Assembly, as well as administrative meetings of UCLG-MEWA Committee on Smart Cities and Urban Mobility and UCLG-MEWA Committee on Social Inclusion were organized. In addition to the administrative meetings of the committees, thematic sessions on “The Challenges and Opportunities for Big Data and Open Data for Local Governments” and “The Role of Local Governments in Managing Migration” were also held.
Many mayors and local government representatives from the MEWA region and different countries came together through the UCLG-MEWA Congress.
At the opening of the congress, Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General, Dr. Yousef Shawarbeh, Mayor of Amman, Vahap Seçer, Mayor of Mersin & UCLG-MEWA Co-President, Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan & UCLG Eurasia President, and Uğur İbrahim Altay, Mayor of Konya & UCLG Co-President, addressed the participants with their speeches.
Next Executive Bureau Meeting in Izmir
UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau and Council Joint Meeting was conducted on the first day of the program.The activities carried out since the Executive Bureau and Council Joint Meeting held in Şanlıurfa, Turkey on November 22, 2018, were evaluated during the meeting, and discussions were also held on the activities to be carried out for the upcoming period.
Furthermore, the municipality that will host the next Executive Bureau Meeting of UCLG-MEWA was also determined. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality applied as host municipality for the UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau Meeting to be held in autumn 2019.
After the meeting, Murat Karagöz, Republic of Turkey’s Ambassador in Amman, one of the countries of the MEWA region, organized a reception for the mayors from Turkey on behalf of UCLG-MEWA Secretariat. Speaking at the reception, Ambassador Karagöz mentioned he was introduced to the organization during Arc. Dr. Kadir Topbaş’s, President of UCLG for 2010-2013 and 2013-2016 terms, visit to Ulanbatur. He expressed his pleasure to host the Turkish delegation at the reception.
UCLG-MEWA Presidency was elected for 2019-2022
After the UCLG-MEWA Executive Bureau and Council Joint Meeting, the UCLG-MEWA General Assembly was held on 10 July 2019.The activities of UCLG-MEWA in the last three years were evaluated in the General Assembly. In this session moderated by Vahap Seçer, Mayor of Mersin and UCLG-MEWA Co-President for 2016-2019, the three-year financial report was also discussed. In addition, UCLG-MEWA 2019-2022 Strategic Plan was also discussed with the participants. The General Assembly determined the Presidency, members of Executive Bureau and the Council as well as the Committee Presidency, which will give way to the future work of UCLG-MEWA. At the meeting, it was also clarified which municipalities will be suggested to represent UCLG-MEWA in the UCLG World Council and UCLG Executive Board.
At the end of the meeting, the Union of Municipalities of Dannieh was elected as UCLG-MEWA President for 2019-2022.Greater Amman Municipality (Jordan), Adana Metropolitan Municipality, Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) and Tehran Municipality were elected for UCLG-MEWA Co-Presidency. UCLG-MEWA Treasurer will be run by Nevşehir Municipality and UCLG-MEWA Ombudsman will be conducted by Ankara Metropolitan Municipality for the 2019-2022 term. We wish all our Presidency, Executive Bureau and Council Members a successful working period.