From 16-17 May, mayors and local leaders presented their recommendations at the Habitat III Hearings for Local Authorities and shared their perspective on national legal frameworks, urban planning, and the implementation and follow-up of the New Urban Agenda. 

Mohamed Sefiani, mayour of Chefchaouen, participated in the event.

As the first UN consultative process to recognize and treat sub-national governments as a specific constituency, the Local Authority Hearings represented a milestone for the international municipal movement. Furthermore, the hearings treated cities and countries as equals, with each on the same level, occupying half of the floor space. This arrangement was an important symbolic gesture to the role of local leaders in the New Urban Agenda.

At the Hearings, local leaders joined their voices to call for a seat at the global table in the global governance mechanisms for the implementation and follow-up of the New Urban Agenda. They praised the inclusivity of the Habitat III process to date and expressed their hope that the negotiations on the final text will continue in this spirit.

The mayor of Chefchaouen, Mohamed Sefiani, participated as a speaker during the first round table of the second day, names "Building the urban structure: establishing a supportive national, sub-national and local framework".

For more information of the event:

• Agenda
• Report of the event
• Global Taskforce recommendations on the zero draft of the New Urban Agenda

SOURCE: http://www.medcities.org