1 September 2015: The Fifth Executive Board meeting of the Asian Mayors Forum (AMF) focused on traffic and transportation as well as culture and urban tourism, and allowed participants to explore solutions to common urban challenges. The meeting brought together mayors and delegates from Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Turkey.

The meeting took place in Tehran and Qazvin, Iran, from 29 August-1 September 2015.

During the opening ceremony, which was attended by mayors of Asian cities, members of the diplomatic community and partners from international organizations, a statement made on behalf of Joan Clos, Executive Director, UN-Habitat, stated that, while urbanization has helped economic development and social well-being, cities still face traffic congestion, air pollution, lack of basic services such as water and sanitation, and vulnerability to floods, earthquakes and other disasters. Clos urged planning in advance of growth and migration, including through integrating public transportation with options for walking and cycling, and said that technological advancements made “electric mobility” possible in cities. Clos invited mayor to support UN-Habitat’s Urban Electronic Mobility Initiative. The objective is for electric vehicles to make up 30% of total urban travel by 2030.

The meeting included three technical parallel sessions on: the Traffic and Transportation Committee of Asian Cities; the culture and economy of urban tourism in Asian Cities; and the Cultural Committee of United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA). Each technical session included a half-day training workshop and technical visits to projects in the field.

The AMF first met in 2008. The Forum aims to: raise cooperation and partnership levels among municipalities; create better environments for balanced urban developments emphasizing the dignity of all citizens; work towards cultural and social integrity among the citizens of member cities; and offer better solutions for resource allocation towards optimizing urban development. [UN-Habitat Press Release] [AMF Press Release]