Second US-Arab Cities (Mayors) Forum kicks off in Amman 

(MENAFN Press) Under Royal patronage, the second US-Arab Cities (Mayors) Forum recently kicked off at Al Hussein Cultural Center, with the participation of Arab mayors and local leaderships, in cooperation with the city of Chicago.

During the opening session, the Mayor of Amman, Engineer Omar Maani, gave a speech reviewing the scope of the cooperation and exchange of expertise between cities and municipal administrations, which eventually led to holding this forum to better serve the cities and citizens.

In his speech, Mayor of Chicago, Mr. Richard M. Daley, highlighted the achievements of the first term of the forum, which was held in Chicago, and the anticipation for more cooperation between the participating cities.

Commenting on the forum program, the Head of the Communications Department at the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and the General Coordinator of the forum, Rana Zayadeen, stated that the opening session included speeches by the Director of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and by Ahmed Saleh Al ‘Adasani on behalf of the Arab Towns Organization. This was followed by a press conference with the Mayor of Amman and the Mayor of Chicago, during which Maani and Daley responded to the media representatives’ questions.

The forum, which coincides with Amman’s celebration of GAM’s centennial, aims at sharing information and facilitating the effective participation of local leaderships from the United States of America and Arab countries.

Other aims include providing local governance leaders with the chance for dialogue on a global scale about the obstacles and opportunities faced by the world’s developing cities, thus allowing them to gain experience and the best practices to face up to the challenges addressed during the Forum.

The Form looked into the tenets of good governance in city management, youth and city programs, urban development and planning, public transport, and the role of local administration in economic development and investment.

During the first session that was chaired by the City children representative at the Mayor of Amman’s Round Table for the future of the City, Deema Hijazeen, the Mayor of Riyadh, Prince Dr. Abdul ‘Azeez Bin ‘Ayaf, presented Riyadh’s experience in strengthening the human dimension of the City. The President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI), Sheikh Abdullah Al Ali Al Nuaim, gave the key note speech and presented H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah a plaque of appreciation for her efforts and role in caring for the children in the Arab world.

Key speakers at the session were the President of the Child Protection Initiative, Dr. Ibraheem Bin Abdul ‘Azeez Al Turki, speaking about the situation of children and organizations working with them in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and the Initiative’s Advisor, Dr. Othman Al Hasan Mohammad Nour, tackling “The General Framework of Child-Friendly Cities: the Concept, Principles, and Role of Local Administrations.”

The forum continued with its agenda on the first day with a presentation by the Executive Director of Social Services at the Municipality, Ms. Taghreed Fakhouri, about GAM’s experience as a child-friendly city, while the Head of the Adolescence Project, UNICEF-Jordan, Jumana Haj Ahmed Mihwar, discussed “Is Your City Child-Friendly?”

The first day of the forum concluded with a media session moderated by Al Arabiyeh satellite station, entitled “The Arab Dialogue,” and chaired by Mr. Taleb Kan’an, who ran an open dialogue between the mayors.

Heading the first session of the forum during its second day was Senator ‘Aqel Biltaji, who explored “Community Planning: Restructuring Cities – the Lessons Learned,” with the mayors of Chicago, Beirut, and Sanaa (Abdul Rahman Al Akwa’) about their cities’ experiences.

H.R.H. Raad Bin Zeid, Head of the Board of Trustees, spoke about “Integrating People with Special Needs and Freedom of Transport,” while Mayor of Amman, Eng. Omar Maani, lectured on “The Challenges Facing Public Transport in GAM / Planning,” during the second session, (Public Transport and Transportation in Cities), which was chaired by the Executive Director of Transport at GAM, Dr. Aiman Al Samadi.

During the Round Table session, the Mayor of Oklahoma (the United States) and the Mayor of Jeddah, Eng. Adel Al Faqieh, gave presentations about their respective cities.

The second day’s closing session was chaired by the Advisor on Economic Affairs for the Investment Encouragement Organization, Ilias Faraj, and explored the role of local administration in economic development and investment, through “Tourist Transformation” work papers presented by the Deputy Secretary-General of Technical Affairs / the Ministry of Tourism, Eng. Ehab ‘Amareen. This session also tackled the subject of financing loans for sustainable development for cities, as presented by the CF-Assist program / the World Bank, Mr. Vincatar Botti.

The forum concluded with a number of sessions; the first was chaired by the Deputy Head of Aqaba Special Economic Zone and Investments Commissioner, Dr. Bilal Al Basheer, entitled “Al Hakemieh Al Rasheeda” (Good Governance), during which Mayor of Dubai, Hussein Loutah, gave a presentation about Dubai’s experience “Electronic Government: Improving Provided Services and Transparency,” the Mayor of Frisco / the United States, Maher Masso, talked about public participation, and the Manager of Amman City, Eng. Ammar Gharaibeh presented a work paper on “Institutional Reform: Citizens First – Enabling Workers.”

The second session was chaired by the Executive Director of Social Services at the Municipality, Ms. Taghreed Fakhouri, and lectures were given by the Mayor of Provides / the United States about after-school coalition service; by Lina Attel / Head of the Performance Arts Center – Nour Al Hussein Foundation, about the sustainability of innovation; by the Director of the Walls for Art and Development Association / Alexandria, Suleiman Abdul Mutaleb, about art as the new entrance for convergence with the city; and by the Director General of the Jordan River Foundation, Valentina Qussisiya.

At the end of this year’s forum, which witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Dubai Municipality and GAM, the Mayor of Amman, the Mayor of London, and the Sister Cities International Organization / the United States, gave speeches.

It is worth mentioning that the first US-Arab Cities (Mayors) Forum which was hosted by Chicago from April 28-30, 2008, in collaboration with Amman and Casablanca, was considered the first of its kind in the United States of America, reflecting Arab-US cooperation as Arab mayors and local leaderships from the MENA region were invited to the United States to meet with the mayors of American cities.