Another important milestone was the participation of the Eurasian Section of UCLG in the preparation of Russia’s Voluntary National Review. The review was presented to the UN in July 2020 and included projects initiated by local authorities.
In addition, at the beginning of February 2020, a delegation of the Eurasian Section took part in the World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, the results of a study were presented, and a ranking of international activity among cities was compiled. The top 10 included Bishkek, Izmir, Khabarovsk, Kazan, Bursa, Rostov-on-Don, Perm, Gaziantep, Ufa, and Ankara.
Rasikh Sagitov also shared that during the pandemic, the United Cities and Local Governments, in cooperation with UN-Habitat (the UN Human Settlements Programme), promptly organized a series of online sessions to discuss challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 17 thematic webinars were held, with active participation from Eurasian cities.
“The first half of 2021 was also productive. This year, in collaboration with UCLG and GCom, we launched initiatives to combat climate change,” Rasikh Sagitov noted. At the first stage of the project, priority issues were identified for the Eurasian region, including increased ecological footprint, rising sea levels and average annual temperatures, prevention of the greenhouse effect, and the need to establish dedicated bodies to address these challenges. The next step, he said, will be the development of a roadmap for action by local and regional authorities to counter climate change.
The next meeting of the Council of the Eurasian Section within the framework of the UCLG World Congress will take place in November 2022 in Daejeon, South Korea.
“Colleagues, thank you for another year of fruitful cooperation! I wish us all good health, success in overcoming challenges, and continued momentum in the development of our cities. I sincerely hope to see you in person next year,” concluded Ilsur Metshin.