Mayor Murat Şenkul of Girne participated in the Executive Board meeting of the United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Region (UCLG-MEWA), where he serves as co-chair. In his opening speech at the meeting held in Trabzon, Şenkul began by honouring the Champion Angels who lost their lives in the earthquake on February 6th, while highlighting the importance of international organizations and the impact of financial partnerships.
Mayor Murat Şenkul emphasized that the United Cities and Local Governments organization is one of the important international organizations that promotes the sharing of good practices and collaborations among local governments. He said, “We gathered in the distinguished city of Trabzon, Turkey, for the executive board meeting of the Middle East and West Asia Region, which is one of the seven regional organizations of the World Organization.” He emphasized the value of being present and having a say in governance, especially for countries like Northern Cyprus that are isolated from world diplomacy. He said, “Therefore, I would like to emphasize that the diplomatic mission of our cities actually represents our country.”
Continuing his speech, Şenkul stated, “Localization paves the way for good governance. Empowering local governments enables us to provide better and direct services to citizens. International organizations like UCLG-MEWA contribute to the strengthening of local governments through knowledge and expertise sharing, as well as forming financial partnerships.”
Şenkul concluded his speech by expressing his sincere gratitude to the secretariat that brought them together through this wonderful organization and to Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality for their gracious hospitality. He wished for a successful outcome for their executive board meeting.
Source (Turkish): Girne Municipality
