United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) organized an online live local government talk with Ülgür Gökhan, Mayor of Çanakkale and member of UCLG-MEWA Council, on August 12, 2020. The theme of the talk was “The Role of Municipalities in the Fight Against COVID-19 and Normalization Process.”
Starting his speech by mentioning the activities of Çanakkale Municipality in the fight against the coronavirus, Mayor Gökhan talked about the measures taken by Çanakkale Municipality to protect Çanakkale residents and the municipal staff from contracting the virus. Mayor Gökhan stated that with the arrival of the summer season, been necessary measures had introduced to regulate the beaches in accordance with the legislation. He also added that Çanakkale is an important city in terms of its historical features.
Another topic discussed during the talk was urban agriculture. Indicating the importance of urban agriculture, Mayor Gökhan stated that they produced agricultural products such as karakılçık wheat and tomatoes using local seeds in 104-acre field in the city center this year.
Talking also about Çanakkale Smart Bike Rental System (ÇABİS), Mayor Gökhan said that the number of users had reached the 16,500; that 85,000 bikes had been rented about since 2016; and that people’s interest in ÇABİS had increased. He also added that they had been considering to integrate electric scooters into the system soon.
During his speech, Mayor Gökhan also highlighted citizens’ assemblies. They emphasized the fact that they established the Citizens’ Assembly of Çanakkale before the enactment of Citizens’ Assemblies Law in Turkey and said that they give much importance to local participation. Highlighting the important role of UCLG-MEWA in strengthening relations between local governments and facilitating exchange of experiences, Mayor Gökhan said that the organizations should continue its actions and that the pandemic had once more revealed the importance of local governments.
You can watch the video here.