In the course of the 5th World Urban Forum organized by UN-HABITAT in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Local Administration Mr. Sadek Abo Watfe participated at one of the central panels of the conference on “City Development – The Role of Central Governments” and presented the Memorandum on Sustainable Urban Development in Syria – Towards a National Urban Development Strategy for Syria”. The panel was headed by the Director of Urban Development, Climate and Energy of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Franz-Birger Marré and the CEO of the Cities Alliance in Washington, William Cobbett. More than 21.000 participants have registered at the conference in Rio de Janeiro, more than 150  of panels, networking meetings and presentations are taking place under the chairmanship of Lula da Silva, President of Brazil and Anna Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT.

Mr. Sadek Abo Watfe is leading a delegation of six Syrian officials from the City of Aleppo and the Governorate of Damascus which has been organized by the Program of Sustainable Urban Development. This program is conducted jointly by the Ministry of Local Administration and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (gtz). Mr. Abo Watfe has taken the chance to present Syria’s National Urban Development Strategy at this largest conference in the world on urban development. His presentation highlighted the process and content of the National Urban Development Strategy for Syria which has recently been finalized as the outcome of the First International Conference on Syrian Cities, which took place in September 2009 in Damascus. The Syrian National Urban Development Strategy is going to be presented by H.E. Dr. Tamar al Hajje in a workshop with governors and mayors in April in Damascus. The strategy focuses on an integrated approach towards urban development to prepare Syria for a continuous growth of urban areas. It highlights six areas of change and necessary interventions: Urban planning, urban services, urban economy, informal settlements, urban environment and urban heritage and identity. Change in these areas requires a number of pre-conditions to support urban development in Syria, as the decentralization of tasks and responsibilities, the adaptation of legal framework conditions related to local government, urban finances and urban planning.

Mr. Sadek Abo Watfe pointed out: “The new Syrian Urban Development Policy aims at encouraging a discussion amongst the different government levels – central, governorate, and local – and amongst the public and private sectors on strategies, key activities, and investment priorities. It also intends to raise the question of the “ownership of urban development policies” throughout Syria and to remind all parties involved of their responsibility in preparing for the upcoming “Urban Age of Syria”. On decentralisation he added: “In a climate of change and reforms as it is experienced in Syria for a couple of years already, the concept of subsidiarity  - the distribution of tasks between central and local government according to the principle that the central authority should perform only those tasks which cannot be taken care of effectively at a lower or local level - needs to be introduced in a stepwise process, and responsibilities have to be shared by many. Urban development is not the responsibility of the central government alone, but primarily of local authorities, civil society, and the private sector. Our commitment to cities and communities must grow at the same degree as our demand for their contributions to change.”

The contribution by the Ministry of Local Adminstration to the World Urban Forum has been highly welcomed. With the National Urban Development Syria is setting a benchmark in the Arab world regarding policy making, setting of objectives for the next Five-Year-Plan and structuring the necessary reform activities of all public entities at central and local level related to urban development.