During its 44th Executive Committee meeting held in Iloilo City, Philippines, CityNet formalised two key partnerships by signing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM) and also Habitat for Humanity International.
MOU with Habitat for Humanity International
CityNet’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity International centres on addressing housing and urban resilience challenges. Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organisation specialising in affordable housing, aims to work with CityNet members through joint initiatives, collaborative research, and workshops.
Director Gregg McDonald, who oversees Habitat’s programmes in the Asia-Pacific region, commended the exceptional connections that citynet events are able to create between city representatives.
“This is my first CityNet event, but I’ve attended many events globally,” he remarked. “I really applaud you as participants for the connections you are making here and the way in which you are doing it. I’ve never felt such a strong connection with the different people that are here, and I think you should celebrate yourselves for what you are creating.”
– Gregg McDonald, Director of Program Operations, Habitat for Humanity International
MOU with Global Parliament of Mayors
GPM, a governance body of, by and for mayors from all continents, builds on the experience, expertise and leadership of mayors in tackling local challenges resulting from global problems.
The MOU outlines practical areas of cooperation, including establishing networking platforms for city representatives, sharing resources, developing joint projects, and seeking external funding for scalable initiatives. This partnership underscores the shared belief that empowering local governments is critical to solving global problems.
Erin Um is a Programme Officer at CityNet, where she manages external partners and related projects, publications, and communications. She is interested in working with city and corporate partners for collaborative opportunities. Prior to working at CityNet, she worked at a humanitarian non-profit organization. She obtained a BA with double major in Economics and International Relations. She can be reached at programs1@citynet-ap.org.
