UCLG-MEWA continues to visit the newly or re-elected mayors on the occasion of the local government elections held in Turkey, one of the countries in the MEWA Region, on 31 March 2019, in order to congratulate the mayors and to provide information on the organization. Within this context, Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General, and his delegation visited Zinnur Büyükgöz, who was elected as the Mayor of Gebze and who also serves as UCLG Treasurer for the 2016-2019 Period.
First of all, Mayor Büyükgöz was informed about the organizational structure and functioning of UCLG-MEWA. Secretary General Duman also gave detailed information about the Pilot Project on Mapping the Sustainable Development Goals, which is Gebze Municipality is a part of, and the activities across the MEWA region. Another important agenda item of the visit was the preparations for the UCLG-MEWA Congress that will be held on 9-10 July 2019 in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Accordingly, preparations for the UCLG-MEWA Financial Management Committee / Supervisory Board Meeting were also discussed with Mayor Büyükgöz.
Sharing the issues followed by the Organization on global agendas is another important pillar of the visits. Accelerating its activities in the region especially after Intermediary Cities Middle East and West Asia (MEWA) Regional Forum held in Nevşehir in September 2017, UCLG-MEWA delegation evaluated the works to be carried out in Gebze, one of the role models in Turkey as for the i-cities.
Coming to the fore with their connections between the rule and urban and its key role for development, I-cities will be one of the issues focused on in the new working period of the organization. Within this regard, UCLG-MEWA continues to follow the works with pilot municipalities determined in the countries in the MEWA Region, and to take the necessary steps together with the members for an integrated functioning to the global policies.