News
Wednesday 22 January 2020

UCLG President Mohamed Boudra Received in New York by UN Chief

Vocal synthesis
UCLG President Mohamed Boudra Received in New York by UN Chief

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, received Tuesday at the UN headquarters in New York, President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Mayor of Al Hoceima, Mohamed Boudra.

On this occasion, the UN chief congratulated Boudra on his election last November for a three-year term as the head of the UCLG, which is the largest global organization representing local and regional governments, wishing him success in his new mission.

In a statement to MAP at the end of this meeting, Boudra said the UN Secretary-General recalled that the United Nations is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and that a global dialogue was launched on this occasion with all the organizations with a view to assessing the action of the United Nations and its prospects for the future, as part of the reform of the organization.

Guterres thus seeks to know the point of view of the mayors and presidents of the regions on this issue and it was agreed in this regard to coordinate efforts in this direction, as well as in terms of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, said Boudra, who is also the president of the Moroccan Association of the Presidents of Communal Councils (AMPCC).

Antonio Guterres, himself a former president of a municipal assembly in Portugal, called for increased cooperation between cities and regional governments in order to achieve progress on the sustainable development issues, while acknowledging that some cities are on track or even exceed the pace of national governments.

The two sides also discussed the means to take into account the views of local and regional authorities in the implementation of all the United Nations programs.

In this regard, Boudra said that a coordinating commission should be set up between UCLG, which represents local and regional authorities all over the world, and the United Nations, which brings together national governments.

The UN chief also stressed the importance of the inclusion of young people, who have an important vision and point of view on the changes that the world is currently experiencing, in particular global warming and the environmental protection challenges.

Boudra also informed the Secretary General of the UCLG's willingness to be granted an observer status within the General Assembly of the United Nations.

At the end of this meeting, Boudra offered the UN Chief  a painting of the old medina of Essaouira, made by a Moroccan artist, showing a mosque near a church and a synagogue, as a symbol of the spirit of living together between religions and civilizations in the different cities of the world.

MAP 22 January 2020