THE SECOND MAYORS’ ROUNDTABLE SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED: SECURING LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT AND PROMOTING EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCE AND GOOD PRACTICE

The Second Mayors’ Roundtable was successfully concluded in Beihai, Guangxi, China, on 8th June 2006.  Four provincial governors, ten mayors, and more than forty national focal points and technical managers and staff from 22 demonstration sites met in Beihai during 6th – 8th June 2006 to exchange their experience and good practice in implementing demonstration site activities and integrating environmental management into local coastal development. 

The participants discussed in depth and extensively on: 1) good practice and experience on various technical themes including, among others, cross-sectoral management, engaging private sectors, public awareness raising activities and poverty-environment linkages; 2) local governments’ involvement and support for the demonstration site activities; 3) future plans of local governments to sustain the project’s benefits beyond the life of the project.

During the meeting, the provincial governors and mayors pledged the local governments’ commitment to strongly support the demonstration site activities, and integrate environmental consideration in their future development plans.  Please click here for all presentations made during the meeting.The participants considered the Roundtable meeting a highly useful forum for both political and technical people from the local governments to meet at the regional level to gain political support for the demonstration sites and exchange good experience, and urged UNEP to convene such a meeting on annual basis as far as the project budget allowed.  The meeting further agreed that during the inter-sessional period local governments and demonstration sites should engage in continuous exchange of good experience and practice via the regional staff exchange and training programme, and a Mayors’ Roundtable E-Forum to be established at the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project website.

On the last day of the meeting, all meeting participants visited the mangrove demonstration site in Fangchenggang, Guangxi.  A visitors and education centre had been just opened in the site a week before the commencement of the Roundtable, with a construction cost of over $125,000 financed entirely by the local government, to support the demonstration site activities.  Meeting participants think highly of the progress and achievements made by the demonstration site, and expressed their hope to bring the experience in Fangchenggang back to their home cities.

National and local media attached great importance to this Roundtable meeting. National Xinhua News Agency, Guangxi TV, Beihai TV, and Fangchenggang TV, and other local media covered the entire meeting.

Please click here to access a list of participants in the Mayors' Roundtable Meeting.