The President of the Palestinian Federation of Local Authorities, Abdul Karim Al-Zubaidi, participated in the activities of the 12th session of the World Urban Forum, organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) in Cairo, with the participation of representatives from more than 182 countries. This session is held under the slogan "Everything starts locally: Local actions for sustainable cities and communities".
During his participation, Al-Zubaidi stressed the need to enhance the active Palestinian presence in international forums. He pointed out that the Palestinian pavilion in the forum provided a valuable opportunity to present the grave challenges facing Palestinian cities, and to emphasize the inalienable human rights of the Palestinian people to survive and live with dignity on their land.
Al-Zubaidi explained that the participation of Palestinian local authorities reflects their aspirations to build resilient cities, and embodies the firm will of our people to end the occupation, stop the ongoing aggression, and achieve comprehensive development in all parts of the homeland, and is also a call to the international community to assume its responsibilities towards the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people.
In addition, Al-Zubaidi participated in the closing training session of the first batch of the "Arab City Leaders" initiative, launched by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in cooperation with the United Cities and Local Governments Organization - Middle East and West Asia Branch. Al-Zubaidi stressed that the specificity of the Palestinian situation calls for making the most of these initiatives, noting that transforming the challenges facing Palestinian cities into opportunities requires innovative tools and advanced knowledge. He stressed that enhancing the capabilities of city leaders can contribute to creating effective and innovative solutions to address urban crises and achieve sustainable development, which supports the efforts of the Palestinian people to build a better future and achieve stability and prosperity under complex and difficult circumstances. Al-Zubaidi also participated in a dialogue organized by Clima-Med and the Cities Alliance Initiative, which focused on enhancing the ability of Palestinian municipalities to face climate challenges by adopting long-term strategies for sustainable development. Al-Zubaidi stressed that Palestinian local authorities, in addition to their tireless efforts to achieve sustainable development, find themselves in a reality that requires them to focus more on managing ongoing crises rather than development, and that the struggle for survival has become an urgent need that requires innovative and rapid responses that meet the needs of citizens in all circumstances. On the sidelines of the forum, a special meeting was held for the Palestinian community in Egypt, attended by Al-Zubaidi, along with the Palestinian Minister of Local Government and a number of representatives of the community, during which the latest developments in Palestine, especially in the besieged Gaza Strip, were reviewed. The attendees stressed the importance of strengthening national unity and solidarity among the Palestinian people at home and abroad, to confront the challenges facing our just cause. They also stressed the need to intensify international efforts to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of the occupation.
