Venice: Forum of the worlds Mayors to rethink cities
Venice - On September 4, the Sala del Senato of the Doges Palace will play host to the second edition of the international Forum "A Thousand Cities, Millions of Citizens: a Project for our Future." This initiative has been strongly backed by the Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, and organized by the Municipality of Venice in cooperation with the 'Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia e Vela spa', which has invited the mayors of the world's great cities to exchange opinions. The goal is to relaunch Venices role as a bridge between East and West, a city which for centuries has been home to a peaceful cohabitation of different religions, peoples and cultures. The event is an opportunity for cities to rediscover their roles as diplomatic actors, in parallel with that of nations: together trying to highlight their potential and grasp their problems.
The goal is to find solutions for transforming the worlds cities into incubators for values, including development, justice, progress and a future for the young. In particular, during the Forum the mayors or their delegates will discuss the themes of urban security, transport and waste disposal, presenting and examining different best practice examples. Fourteen cities will be participating: The principality of Monaco, Bordeaux and Strasbourg (France), Leipzig (Germany), Gent (Belgium), Corfu and Heraklion (Greece), Zagreb (Croatia), Quito (Ecuador), Sarajevo (Bosnia Herzegovina), Pendik (Turkey), Kharkiv (Ukraine), Moscow (Russia) and New York (USA).
The Regional UNESCO Office for Science and Culture in Europe will also be represented. All the participants will officially be welcomed on Sunday September 3 and be the Mayors guests at the spectacular Regata Storica, the historical marine pageant which they will follow in a parade of gondolas. Also at the Forum, along with figures from Venices administration, will be the mayors of the 44 cities included in the Venice Metropolitan area, and representatives of city departments, companies and services.