The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, inaugurating the 16th conference of the Arab Towns Organisation in Doha yesterday.
DOHA: Sustainable development is not possible without cities that are safe from a security, environmental, political and social point of view, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, has said.
Opening the 16th conference of the Arab Towns Organisation (ATO) here yesterday, the Prime Minister said, “Towns with their different sectors and components are the future of the world. They are no more marginalised but are strongly present in the international scene.”
“The world — states, communities and institutions — is moving towards one common aim, which is sustainable development, and it will not be possible without cities that are secure, stable and balanced in social, economic and environmental dimensions,” he added.
The three-day conference has been organised by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning in cooperation with Arab Towns Organisation (ATO).
The Prime Minister said ATO was playing an important role that would benefit the Arab world in the long term and provide Arab countries with a suitable environment for production and creativity.
One of the main goals of the organisation is to encourage decentralisation and raise the quality of local government, said the Prime Minister.
The main topics to be discussed in the conference will be how best to develop economies and eliminate poverty, said the Prime Minister, adding that the development of cities had become an important part of achieving sustainable development.
The large turnout of experts and specialists in the field of urban development reflects the intent of Arab countries to achieve sustainable development, particularly as they get ready to contribute to drafting the post-2015 UN Development Agenda, said the Prime Minister.
He added that developing cities had become part of the wider efforts for global development.
He said that this year’s conference will focus on the issue of social justice and how it can be achieved through local governance, rather than focusing on development from a purely economic point of view.
The Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning, H E Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Khalifa Al Thani, was among the senior officials from the participating countries present.
ATO Secretary General Yousef Al Adasani appreciated the progress made by Arab countries in recent years in developing cities, particularly partnerships made with the private sector and non-governmental organisations to achieve that. ATO focuses on training workers in municipalities to raise their efficiency, said Al Adasani.
The Peninsula
