On 19-20 October, Kazan hosted the BRICS Friendship Cities and Local Government Cooperation Forum.
The event was attended by the representatives of 15 countries, including India, China, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Indonesia, Germany, Switzerland, Kyrgyzstan and Morocco, with representatives from 56 cities, including Moscow, New Delhi, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai, Polokwane, Hangzhou, Wuhan, etc. Among the participants of the Forum were also representatives of 10 major organizations and associations of local governments and municipalities, including the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Brazil’s National Confederation of Municipalities, Brazilian Association of Municipalities, South African Local Government Association, United Cities and Local Governments, World Health Organisation, and a number of Russian associations of cities and municipalities.
The Forum opened on 19 October, and its first day included four panel sessions, during which experts discussed mechanisms for implementing the smart city concept, promoting sustainable urban development in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and making cities and communities inclusive, safe and sustainable, as well as promoting municipal-level cooperation within BRICS.
The Forum concluded with the plenary session on 20 October. Russian speakers included Rustam Nigmatullin, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ilsur Metshin, Kazan Mayor and President of the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities, Rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko, and Minister of the Government of Moscow and Head of the Moscow Department of Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations Sergei Cheryomin. Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation sent a video message of greetings to the participants of the Forum.
During the plenary session, the participants also heard statements by BRICS city mayors and representatives of city associations. These included President of Brazil’s National Confederation of Municipalities Glademir Aroldi, Executive Director of the Brazilian Association of Municipalities Eduardo Tadeu, Deputy Mayor of Sao Paulo Luiz Alvaro Salles Aguiar de Menezes, Mayor of Birigui, Brazil, Cristiano Salmeirao, Head of the International Relations Department at Rio de Janeiro City Hall Antonio Fernando Cruz de Mello, Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Section of the United Cities and Local Governments World Organisation Bernadia Irawati, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar (India), Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Kazan Wu Yingqin, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Li Xikui, vice mayors of Xian, Wuhan and Hangzhou, President of the South African Local Government Association and Polokwane Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng and United Cities and Local Governments Secretary General Emilia Saiz.
Ilsur Metshin noted that local government bodies, taking their close ties to the people into account, had a huge responsibility. “Local government institutions, regardless of their region or country, share the same mission - to streamline local governance, remove legal and financial obstacles and ensure equal opportunities and conditions for all residents,” he pointed out.
“We share the same goals of improving our cities, making them comfortable, safe and cosy and pleasant. We want our cities to offer equal opportunities to all who live, study, work or create something there. I am confident that this BRICS Friendship Cities and Local Government Cooperation Forum in Kazan will serve as an effective platform for strengthening cooperation among municipalities, enabling them to play a more prominent role in addressing global issues, as well as to share best practices in order to create a better environment for our residents,” Mr Metshin added.
At the end of the Forum the participants adopted an outcome Declaration emphasizing the importance of pursuing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for improving the lives and well-being of urban populations in the BRICS countries.
The Forum concluded with the broadcast of a gala-concert devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s greetings to participants in the BRICS Friendship Cities and Local Government Cooperation Forum, Moscow, October 20, 2020
Friends,
Let me welcome the participants in the BRICS Friendship Cities and Local Government Cooperation Forum. The initiative to hold meetings in this format originated, in fact, simultaneously with the establishment of BRICS itself. The Forum has become established as a useful and much-needed venue for contacts between representatives of local governments of the five countries and for an exchange of views on the pressing issues related to the development of urban environment.
Symbolically, the present meeting is taking place in one of the oldest Russian cities whose history goes back one thousand years. Members of different ethnic and religious groups live here peacefully side by side. Kazan’s rich centuries-old traditions combine organically with its image of a modern and dynamically developing city. The hospitality and cultural diversity of the capital of Tatarstan will help the Forum to become a success. There is no doubt about that.
Today’s meeting will add to the treasure trove of BRICS events in 2020 and will promote contacts between people, which are reliable bonds of the strategic partnership between the five states. The Forum’s central theme – Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Modern Cities – is particularly relevant against the background of the current difficult situation in global politics and the world economy. It fully reflects the main objective of the Russian BRICS chairmanship, as set by President of Russia Vladimir Putin, which is to strengthen BRICS cooperation in order to ensure wellbeing and better quality of life for the citizens in our countries.
I wish all Forum participants every success, fruitful work, and good health!