Mayor Altay Speaks on Global Issues at the UN

The President of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Uğur İbrahim Altay, made significant statements during meetings held at the United Nations (UN) building, which were also attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments is being held in New York City, United States, ahead of the United Nations Summit of the Future, which will take place with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Mayor Altay said, "During the meeting this morning, Mr. Guterres' remarks about local governments encouraged us all. I hope the outcomes of these meetings will lead to local governments having a more significant presence at the table. I would like to express that we all share a common view on three key points that stood out in the discussions. First, the time for talking is over, and we must take action. Second, it is absolutely impossible to find solutions without local governments. Third, we must collectively address the issue of access to financing."

Altay stated, "As local and regional governments, we are the guardians of the people's trust. With the responsibilities we bear, we are in a crucial position to ensure equality, development, peace, justice, unity, and solidarity. In this regard, we must join hands to put an end to the wars and suffering happening in many parts of the world. While we are here today working to offer a more livable world to our citizens, unfortunately, bloodshed and tears persist in many places, particularly in Gaza. The genocide carried out by the Israeli regime against innocent Gazans is deeply wounding all of humanity, whose hearts beat for peace. It is unacceptable to remain silent in the face of this genocide, which has been systematically carried out for many years and, in the past year alone, has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians, including children and the elderly. Such silence is neither fitting for the vision we are trying to build today nor for the ethics of humanity."

The United Nations Summit of the Future will be held in New York City, USA, on September 22-23, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.