Ufa City Administration took part in an online meeting of the Council of the Eurasia Regional Section of the World organization «United Cities and Local Governments»

Today, on November 12, a meeting of the Council of the Eurasia Regional Section of the World organization «United Cities and Local Governments» (UCLG) took place. The meeting was held online and brought together the heads and representatives of 27 cities, including Ufa City Administration, represented by the Deputy Head of the City Administration Alina Suleimanova.

It should be noted that in 2019 at the Sixth Congress of the World Organization «United Cities and Local Governments» in Durban, Ufa joined the Eurasian Regional Section of the organization. Thanks to Ufa's membership in the UCLG ERS, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan occupies one of the leading places in the rating of recognizable Russian cities on the world stage.

«This year has been very difficult for us. The world is faced with an unprecedented situation. This also affected the Eurasian branch of UCLG. The cities of our department are holding firmly in the struggle for the life and health of their residents. However, the pandemic has claimed the lives of many, including longtime and active members of our organization. These are the Head of Ufa City Administration Ulfat Mustafin, the Head of Stavropol Andrei Dzhatdoev, the Deputy Akim of Aktau Gulzhazira Aldasheva,» said Ilsur Metshin, starting the meeting and expressed his condolences.

The President of the Eurasian Branch of UCLG noted that the COVID-19 pandemic forced to adjust plans and adapt to the conditions of significant restrictions. But the time of serious challenges also opens up new opportunities.

«The pandemic has made adjustments to the global context of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the current situation, we must support international cooperation, look for new formats for its implementation and exchange best practices for implementing the SDGs at the local level. Through joint efforts, we need to focus public attention on the crucial role of municipalities in the implementation of the SDGs, increase interaction between cities, and continue to work on building interaction on the localization of SDGs in national programs. I am sure that our cooperation is the very key to countering global challenges,» said Ilsur Metshin.

The Secretary General of World Organization of UCLG Emilia Saiz also addressed the meeting participants with a welcoming speech. Edgardo Bilski, Director of the UCLG Research Department, spoke about the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the preparation of voluntary local reviews by cities. In addition, Riina Jussila, Sustainable Development Specialist of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, joined the meeting from New York.

Further, within the framework of the online meeting, the cities will exchange their best practices in ensuring sustainable functioning in a pandemic.

In addition, during the meeting, the participants approved candidates for inclusion in the World Council and the Executive Bureau of UCLG from the Eurasian branch, discussed the report on the activities of the branch for 2019-2020, and resolved organizational questions.