“Sustainable Development, Urban Agriculture and Biodiversity Global Forum AGRICITIES Konya Declaration” was Opened for Signature

A rapid change is always possible and we believe that if we make these changes sustainable, we will achieve our goals…..

As the World Academy for Local Government and Democracy (WALD); In the Global Forum for Sustainable Development, Urban Agriculture and Biodiversity, which we held between 25-27 May 2022, with the cooperation and kindly hosting of Konya Metropolitan Municipality together with the International Union of Agricultural Cities (AGRICITIES), different topics were opened for discussion on an international scale.

In line with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), local government representatives emphasized the importance of inter-institutional cooperation in the creation of local and national strategies and incorporating these strategies into international processes in order to produce sustainable solutions. In this regard, it was emphasized that urgent measures should be taken by all national and international stakeholders to accelerate the actions in order to achieve the goals in the 2030 agenda.

In line with these visions, all parties stated that they need to increase their joint efforts to reach the 2030 target; Mehmet DUMAN, Chairman of the Board of Directors of WALD, UN Turkey Resident Coordinator Alvaro RODRIGUEZ, UNDP Turkey Resident Representative Lousia VINTON, UNHCR Turkey Representative Deputy Daniela CHICCELLA, local government representatives, Ministers and institution officials participating in the Forum from Turkey and institution officials participating from 16 different countries declared their commitment and signed to the “AGRICITIES Konya Declaration on Sustainable Development, Urban Agriculture and Biodiversity” prepared with the contributions of WALD, AGRICITIES, UN Turkey, UN Development Program (UNDP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The "Global Forum for Sustainable Development, Urban Agriculture and Biodiversity", which attracted high interest and intense participation, ended with a family photo shoot after three days of valuable sharing.