IMC joins association of five global cities

MoU to help promote people-to-people exchange in private sector among member cities

ISLAMABAD: In its bid to become self-sufficient, the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) has signed an agreement with four other cities in the world to cooperate and become self-sufficient.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the Sejong Special Self-governing City of Korea, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality of Turkey, Brasilia federal district of Brasilia and the Putrajaya Corporation of Malaysia at the World Administrative Cities Forum 2017 hosted in Sejong. The theme of the moot was “sustainable development of world administrative cities”.

Islamabad Mayor and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Sheikh Anser Aziz signed the agreement. Under the agreement, the five capitals shall form an association which has been tentatively called the ‘World Administrative Cities Association’ (WACA). The basic purpose of the forum was to pursue the long-term development of the association and member cities.

Moreover, it would establish a collaborative relationship amongst member cities of Sejong, Ankara, Brasilia, Islamabad and Putrajaya.

Further, proposals presented and deliberated on at World Administrative Cities Forum 2017 would form the basis of WACA. Sejong will launch and operate the association for the first five years.

In order to promote mutual exchanges among these cities, people-to-people exchange in private sectors shall be actively pursued by each member city. The member cities would also exchange experiences as well as challenges and possible solutions in order to jointly lead the development of global administrative cities.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2017.