MET – The Mayor of Florence and Metropolitan City on a mission to Kiev. Meeting with Zelenskij
A delegation of European cities belonging to Eurocities, the largest European network of medium and large cities of which the mayor of Florence and Metropolitan City is president, was in Kiev on Friday 19 August, to sign a political agreement aimed at helping the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities. The Mayor of Florence, at the head of the delegation, had an hour and a half meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskij, and then met the Mayor of Kiev, Vitalij Klycko, who is president of the Ukrainian Cities Association. In addition to Kiev Nardella was also in Bucha, Irpin and Borodyanka.
The agreement, wanted by Eurocities and signed by the Congress of Local and Regional Ukrainian Authorities in the presence of the President of Ukraine Zelenskij outlines the plans to match the reconstruction needs in Ukraine with the capabilities of other European cities.
In addition to the Mayor of Florence, Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, were present at the signing; Juhana Vartiainen, Mayor of Helsinki; Grégory Doucet, Mayor of Lyon; Benoît Payan, Mayor of Marseille; Raymond Johansen, Mayor and Governor of Oslo; Martin¸š Stak¸is, Mayor of Riga; Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana.
In a joint statement, the Mayors said: “We, the Mayors and leaders of European and Ukrainian cities, condemn the Russian war in and call for an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces and the restoration of peace. We are committed to joining our efforts to prepare and provide a rapid and sustainable reconstruction of Ukrainian cities from the Russian attacks that began on February 24, 2022 ”.
“We want to offer hope, support and solidarity to the Ukrainian population for a peaceful and democratic future – underlined the mayor of Florence and the Metropolitan City -. We mayors are the political figures closest to the people, and it is this closeness and solidarity on the part of citizens from all over Europe that we brought with us when we met President Zelenskij and our Ukrainian mayor friends. By declaring our support for the development of Ukraine, so that our commitments can follow up on concrete actions ”.
“Our involvement in the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities stems from the awareness that those are European cities. For us, it is no coincidence that four of the largest Ukrainian cities are already members of Eurocities. Our mission in Ukraine – added Nardella – wants to help remind the whole world that this war still affects people’s lives, and wants to prevent the gradual inattention of the media on the conflict ”.
In recent weeks, a joint task force made up of political representatives from Eurocities, the Association of Ukrainian Cities, and the office of the President of Ukraine, will meet regularly to oversee the development and implementation of collaborative initiatives.
Additionally, while Eurocities will engage its network of over 200 cities, the Association of Ukrainian Cities will share details of major reconstruction projects in Ukrainian cities destroyed during the Russian war and coordinate reconstruction efforts to avoid overlap.
The agreement provides for: a shared vision of sustainable urban development, ensuring that reconstruction projects contribute to creating green, energy efficient, healthy, safe, inclusive, prosperous and livable urban areas and agglomerations, guaranteeing equal opportunities for all citizens; The state of the rule of law, ensuring accountability between cities towards partners and transparency in transactions, especially for investments; confirmation of the central role of self-government, decentralization and capacity building at local level; involvement of citizens and local stakeholders in the reconstruction process, and enhancement of their aspirations for local development, essential for a new post-war start for the cities and people of Ukraine. (af)
The agreement, wanted by Eurocities and signed by the Congress of Local and Regional Ukrainian Authorities in the presence of the President of Ukraine Zelenskij outlines the plans to match the reconstruction needs in Ukraine with the capabilities of other European cities.
In addition to the Mayor of Florence, Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, were present at the signing; Juhana Vartiainen, Mayor of Helsinki; Grégory Doucet, Mayor of Lyon; Benoît Payan, Mayor of Marseille; Raymond Johansen, Mayor and Governor of Oslo; Martin¸š Stak¸is, Mayor of Riga; Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana.
In a joint statement, the Mayors said: “We, the Mayors and leaders of European and Ukrainian cities, condemn the Russian war in and call for an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces and the restoration of peace. We are committed to joining our efforts to prepare and provide a rapid and sustainable reconstruction of Ukrainian cities from the Russian attacks that began on February 24, 2022 ”.
“We want to offer hope, support and solidarity to the Ukrainian population for a peaceful and democratic future – underlined the mayor of Florence and the Metropolitan City -. We mayors are the political figures closest to the people, and it is this closeness and solidarity on the part of citizens from all over Europe that we brought with us when we met President Zelenskij and our Ukrainian mayor friends. By declaring our support for the development of Ukraine, so that our commitments can follow up on concrete actions ”.
“Our involvement in the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities stems from the awareness that those are European cities. For us, it is no coincidence that four of the largest Ukrainian cities are already members of Eurocities. Our mission in Ukraine – added Nardella – wants to help remind the whole world that this war still affects people’s lives, and wants to prevent the gradual inattention of the media on the conflict ”.
In recent weeks, a joint task force made up of political representatives from Eurocities, the Association of Ukrainian Cities, and the office of the President of Ukraine, will meet regularly to oversee the development and implementation of collaborative initiatives.
Additionally, while Eurocities will engage its network of over 200 cities, the Association of Ukrainian Cities will share details of major reconstruction projects in Ukrainian cities destroyed during the Russian war and coordinate reconstruction efforts to avoid overlap.
The agreement provides for: a shared vision of sustainable urban development, ensuring that reconstruction projects contribute to creating green, energy efficient, healthy, safe, inclusive, prosperous and livable urban areas and agglomerations, guaranteeing equal opportunities for all citizens; The state of the rule of law, ensuring accountability between cities towards partners and transparency in transactions, especially for investments; confirmation of the central role of self-government, decentralization and capacity building at local level; involvement of citizens and local stakeholders in the reconstruction process, and enhancement of their aspirations for local development, essential for a new post-war start for the cities and people of Ukraine. (af)
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