Mohamad Saadie, UCLG-MEWA President and President of Union of Dannieh Municipalities, Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General, and his accompanying delegation paid working visits to Maltepe and Kartal Municipalities in Istanbul, Turkey on 7 October 2021.
UCLG-MEWA delegation firstly visited Ali Kılıç, Mayor of Maltepe, in his office. During the visit where both parties exchanged ideas, the recent activities of UCLG-MEWA were shared with the mayor. The main issues discussed included the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals and the steps that can be taken in favor of local governments in this regard. The meeting came to an end with both sides agreeing to further strengthen their bilateral collaboration.
The next stop of the delegation was Kartal Municipality. During the meeting with Gökhan Yüksel, Mayor of Kartal, one of the youngest mayors of Turkey, the parties discussed how to forge strong bilateral relations and explored possible areas of cooperation.
Additionally, they discussed the importance of SDGs, the responsibilities of local governments and local government associations, and the role of local governments in the fight against epidemics.
Lastly, President Saadie underlined the role of UCLG-MEWA in increasing the visibility of local governments at the international level.
