Byo mayor attends Global Mayors summit

THE City of Bulawayo last week became the first local authority to be invited to the Global Parliament of Mayors, a platform which council uses to increase investment opportunities in the city.

The Global Parliament of Mayors is a governance body of, by and for mayors from all continents which builds on the experience, expertise and leadership of mayors in tackling local challenges resulting from global problems.

The city’s Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni, who attended the annual summit that was held in Katowice, Poland from 24 to 26 June said as a city the aim was to position Bulawayo as a viable investment destination. This year’s summit was held in conjunction with the 12th session of the World Urban Forum.

“We were invited by the Global Parliament of Mayors to participate at the annual summit in Katowice, Poland. As the city of Bulawayo we have been trying to join the Global Parliament of Mayors since the 11th Session of World Urban Forum that was held in Abu Dhabi in February 2022.

“We are the first city from Zimbabwe to have joined this network of over 700 mayors from both the global north and the global south. Our thrust as a city is to create strong networks and partnerships that position the city as an investment and tourist destination,” he said.

Clr Mguni revealed that the summit gave the city the opportunity to create a strong pool of networks and partnerships.

“Some of the benefits of this summit include that we were able to create a strong pool of networks and partnerships, positioning the city as an investment destination. Further, the importance of north to south co-operation in the event of pandemics and disasters was widely explored.

“Covid-19 has taught us to govern our cities with disasters in mind. We were not going there to be a charity case. Ours was all about knowledge exchanges and to learn best practices in local governance,” he said.

According to a synopsis of the Global Parliament of Mayors, they call for the promotion of collective city decision-making across national borders, addressing critical challenges that face humankind, and creating better outcomes for all.

They further note that the GPM promotes proposals and demands of mayors, draws on successfully implemented policies and activities by mayors around the world and creates greater awareness of the crucial role cities play in our interdependent world.