On 22 August, the Secretariat made a courtesy visit to Yokohama to meet with stakeholders from the City of Yokohama, CityNet Yokohama Project Office, and Consulate General of Republic of Korea to Yokohama. The visit was conducted to discuss agendas prior to the 9th CityNet Congress such as, inviting Yokohama to Congress in person as well as discussion of the contribution of the City of Yokohama to the Network and CityNet Yokohama Project Office as a President Emeritus.
There were mainly three meetings – meeting with the Deputy Mayor Mr. Hirotoshi Shiro, International Affairs Bureau (IAB) and CityNet Yokohama Project Office (CYO), and with the Consulate General of Republic of Korea. IAB was represented by Director General Mr. Toru Hashimoto and CYO was represented by Mr. Nobuyuki Onozaki. From the Secretariat, it was attended by CEO Jeong-kee Kim, Director Youngmin Chang, Senior Program Officer Danbee Lee and Congress Coordinator Woorim Lee.
During the meeting, CEO Kim shared with Mr. Shiro on how the City of Yokohama can utilize CityNet to brand Yokohama as a leading city within the region. He mentioned that CityNet as the oldest network of cities within the Asia Pacific region where many of our cities are expanding, City of Yokohama can share its knowledge and policies with our members. Additionally, he put strength on the role of Yokohama as a President Emeritus for our members in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) given that it is aimed to be achieved by 2030.
At the end of the day, the Secretariat delegates made a courtesy visit to the Consulate General of Republic of Korea to Yokohama city. Mr. Hee Chan Yoon explained about the history of Yokohama and provided an informative knowledge on the Korean immigrants community from decades ago.
CityNet is an association of urban stakeholders committed to sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. Established in 1987 with the support of UNESCAP, UNDP and UN-Habitat, the Network of cities has grown to include over 160 municipalities, NGOs, private companies and research centers. We connect actors, exchange knowledge and build commitment to establish more sustainable and resilient cities. Through capacity building, city-to-city cooperation and tangible projects, we help our members respond to Climate Change, Disaster, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
