Govt seconds Byo mayor to attend mayors’ forum

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor

BULAWAYO mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni has been seconded by the government to represent the country at the International Mayors Forum, which has been running in Dakar, Senegal from Tuesday and ending on Friday.

The forum is being organised by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) under the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD).

The objective of the 2022-23 International Mayors Forum is to provide a platform for policy dialogue and sharing through presentations and discussions on key aspects related to the implementation of sustainable development goals and other international frameworks and agreements such as Paris Climate Agreement at a local level.

Further, in alignment with the 2023 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), the forum strives to support local authorities and communities to achieve a better understanding of successes, lessons learned, and good practices, particularly with regard to the implementation of SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17.

In an interview from Dakar, Senegal, Clr Mguni expressed excitement for being availed the opportunity to represent the country at such a high level engagement.

“I was nominated by the government to represent my city and country at this year’s Forum, which was originally supposed to have been held on 12 to 17 November 2022 and was postponed to this week. I am scheduled to lead a panel discussion on infrastructure and asset management in local authorities on Thursday, 27 April 2023,” he said.