Ahmet Akın, Mayor of Balıkesir, UCLG Vice President and the President of the UCLG-MEWA Committee on Culture and Tourism, paid a visit to UCLG-MEWA General Secretariat on September 3, 2024. Within the context of the visit, Akın was informed about the functioning mechanism and activities of UCLG-MEWA.
During the visit, a comprehensive presentation was made on the purpose of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), its working system and history, for Mayor Akın and his team. Additionally, UCLG-MEWA staff informed the guests on the organization’s activities and engagements with the local governments in the international arena and the presidency system of the parent organization, UCLG.
During his visit, Mayor Akın expressed his appreciation for the contributions by UCLG-MEWA to foster the local governments’ engagement at the international level. The visit also gave the chance for the evaluation of the potential collaboration between Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality and UCLG-MEWA.
Dr. Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General expressed his gratitude to Ahmet Akın for their visit and for the collaboration.
Following the visit, Mayor Akın took part in the UCLG Forum on Intermediary Cities, which is moderated by Dr. Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary Duman. Contributing to the forum online, Akın touched on the role of intermediary cities as an alternative for the uncontrolled urban expansion saying, “We are committed to minimizing the environmental impacts of urbanization. I believe intermediary cities offer a sustainable alternative to irregular urban expansion.”