Beirut, Lebanon, 23 July 2024--The Arab Mayors Academy, a joint programme between United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) - Regional Office for Arab States, was officially launched today at the UN House in Beirut marking a significant milestone in the journey towards sustainable urban development in the Arab region. The academy aims to equip city leaders with cutting-edge knowledge and tools to effectively address urban challenges and leverage opportunities in their respective cities.
The first edition is implemented in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments - Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) with the participation of 13 governors, mayors and city leaders from across the Arab region, including from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the State of Palestine and Tunisia. The executive programme, organized in its first part with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), was designed together with participating city leaders to respond to their priority needs.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Rania Hedeya, Regional Representative a.i. of UN-Habitat said that "Cities in the Arab region are impacted by rapid urbanization, the effects of climate change, compounded with natural hazards, economic shocks and conflict." She emphasized that "local authorities increasingly find themselves at the forefront of these challenges and play a critical role in responding to them. Equipping them with the necessary knowledge and tools to address these issues is of paramount importance".
Regional city leaders prioritized learnings on international frameworks including the New Urban Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Thematic priorities included emergency preparedness, partnerships, economic resilience, transportation, and results-based management.
"The development landscape is quickly changing along with global decentralization trends and accelerated technological advancement," said Sukaina Al-Nasrawi, Lead of the Sustainable Urban Development Portfolio at ESCWA. "Planning for sustainable development is no longer limited to national authorities; on the contrary, local authorities have an unprecedented role in pushing development forward amid these transformative times," she added.
Participants will explore global frameworks and exchange best practices to strengthen leadership and resilience in their cities forming a network of "Mayors for Sustainability" who can lead the efforts to achieve sustainable urban development in the region.
The launch event is coupled with a two-day in-person executive training programme. The programme will continue over four months with webinars, online training modules, and essential readings, culminating with an in-person event on the sidelines of the twelfth edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF) taking place in Cairo, Egypt from 4 to 8 November 2024.
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