NewsletterRABAT 2013 N°3
05 August 2013
3 questions with
3 questions with: M. Kadir TopbaĹ&#x; Mayor of Istanbul President of UCLG
1. What are your expectations for the Rabat 2013 World Summit? For us 1996 (Habitat II in Istanbul) was an important milestone. This event marked the beginning of the unification process of the global movement that culminated in 2004 in the birth of UCLG that is the unified voice of local and regional governments. In 2013 the Rabat summit also represents an important date because we are on the verge of two crucial deadlines for local and regional governments. The first one is 2015 with the revision of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and the Habitat III Conference in 2016, and this, represents the purpose of our presence within the High Level Panel on Development agenda, that was established by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General. In Rabat we must lay the foundations of our own development agenda. This is why I ask all our members and partners to be present in Rabat for this great landmark event that will mark the history of our movement. 2. As President of UCLG, what is your role in the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda? In the last few years, local and regional governments have taken very important steps in recognizing their key role in the global development agenda. In July 2012, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon created a High Level Panel in which I represent the voice of cities and regions, for a unique and universal agenda of development that focuses on human development. In that regard, we put in place within UCLG, the international Taskforce of local and regional
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