The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is sending the largest delegation of municipal leaders of all Middle East nations, to Singapore to attend the World Cities Summit (WCS) from June 1-4. Held every two years in Singapore and billed as the ‘Davos of Cities’, WCS is one of the world’s largest gatherings of city mayors, municipal and industry leaders.
His Excellency Mr Abdulrahamn Al Dahmash, Advisor to the Minister Office of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be joined by His Excellency Dr Khalid bin Abdulqader Taher, Mayor of Almadinah Almunwwara, His Excellency Eng. Saleh Bin Ahmad Al Ahmad, Mayor of Al Qassim, His Excellency Eng. Jamal Nassir Al-Mulhem, Deputy Mayor of Eastern Province, His Excellency Dr Hani Aburas, Mayor of Jeddah, and His Excellency Eng Mohammed S Al Dabaan, Deputy Mayor of Riyadh for Construction and Projects.
Joining the official municipal delegation will be representatives of Emaar Economic City, an indicator of the strong bilateral links between the countries and the important discussions which take place between international city leadership at WCS.
“We are truly excited to be hosting such a large and senior group of mayors from The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, said Khoo Teng Chye, Executive Director at the Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore, the government agency behind WCS. “They continue a tradition of healthy participation by government and municipal leaders from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East region.”
“WCS is one of the world’s largest regular platforms for government leaders and industry experts to come together to address liveable and sustainable city challenges. The event is run on the basis that cities all around the world face common challenges, but through collaboration and knowledge sharing we can find shared solutions,” Mr. Khoo said.
Now in its fourth edition, WCS 2014 will be the largest yet with a record number of stakeholders across government, industry, international organisations and academia. Over 130 mayors and city leaders from around the world will attend.
Highlights of this year’s WCS include the inaugural WCS Young Leaders Symposium, the presentation of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize to Suzhou, China, and plenaries focused on the next urban decade, and focused forums on China and Southeast Asia.