World Cannot Respond to Unsustainable Demands…

Board of Directors Meeting of United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Regional Organization (UCLG-MEWA), of which the World Academy for Local Government and Democracy (WALD) is both a member and takes place in the line management, was held on 23-24 November 2022 in Informatics Valley hosted by Gebze Municipality.

WALD Chairman of the Executive Board Dr. Mehmet Duman and Accounting Member of WALD Board of Directors and also Member of UCLG-MEWA Supervisory Board/Financial Management Committee Atty. Arbiter Emin Canacankatan attended at the UCLG-MEWA Board of Directors Meeting, where UCLG-MEWA's 25 May 2022-31 October 2022 Activity Report and the reports prepared by the UCLG-MEWA Supervisory Board/Financial Management Committee were presented to the members. At the meeting, the activity program of the next period was also presented to the members' opinions and suggestions.

In addition to the administrative meetings within the framework of the two-day program hosted by the Gebze Municipality, the UCLG-MEWA Environment Committee held a special session with the theme "Sustainable Architecture: Smart Living Spaces" organized by the UCLG-MEWA Smart Cities and Urban Mobility Committee, of which as WALD we are a member and the panel on “The Role of Smart Cities in Overcoming the Negative Effects of Climate Change”, which brought experts in the field and local governments on the same platform. WALD Chairman of the Executive Board Dr. Mehmet Duman, in his speech at the opening of the panel held by the UCLG-MEWA Environment Committee indicated that;

“As we approach the 50th anniversary of the UN Conference on the Human Environment, we are experiencing the times when we feel the negative effects of climate change most intensely. It is possible to say that the fight against climate change, which is one of the main pillars of the UN 2030 Agenda, still maintains its vital importance. At this point, every step we take locally is more critical than ever. As a reflection of this reality, we, as UCLG-MEWA, continue to keep the environment and climate issues among our strategic priorities in our 2022-2025 operating period, as before.” Dr. Duman in his speech, underlined that “There is no doubt that we all care about climate action plans that include both mitigation and adaptation policies and disaster-risk management. I believe that the number of climate action plans that will be prepared by local governments in a way that will meet the needs of everyone should increase in our region.”