Mayor Bernard Wagner participated in the 2nd High-Level Local and Regional Government Forum

We all strive to live in a society devoid of poverty, hunger and inequalities. Places characterized by economic growth, quality education, gender equality and health and wellness. These are just a few of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by United Nations member states in 2015. What has since been understood among these countries is that cities and local governments play a crucial role in realizing these goals.

THINK LOCAL, ACT GLOBAL; LEARN GLOBAL, APPLY LOCAL

To discover new ways of meeting the SDGs and in his capacity as board member of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner and Hubert Pipersburgh, Local Economic Development Manager, participated in the 2nd High-Level Local and Regional Government Forum on the 2030 Agenda: United Nations SDG Summit 2019. The event was hosted by Cameroon at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Mayor Wagner, along with other mayors and local government leaders from all over the world, presented initiatives they plan to implement to help their respective cities localize the SDGs.

Mayor Wagner stressed the importance of bold and decisive leadership in climate action.

On the mitigation side he discussed the Belize City Council’s plan for sustainable transport by building a new e-Transit network for Belize City in order to promote energy efficiency in the transport sector while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

He addressed adaptation by discussing the council’s current proposal to the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center for the voluntary resettlement of those residing in the Krooman Lagoon area, a natural water catchment area impacted by intense periods of rain leading to flooding.

This forum was a great opportunity to learn from other countries on their journey towards SDGs realization and to become more acquainted with some of the initiatives implemented in their own countries and cities.

Thank you to Lucy Slack, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, for inviting us to be apart of this learning, multicultural experience. As expected, we plan to use this global knowledge and apply locally to benefit the residents of Belize City.

– From the Facebook page of the Mayor of Belize City, Bernard Wagner.