RIO DE JANEIRO —The Saudi delegation, led by Fahd Al-Rasheed, advisor to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and head of the Saudi Delegation to the Urban Communities Engagement Group, participated in a number of dialogue sessions during the 7th U20 Deans Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During a keynote session titled "Empowering cities in their journey to development," Al-Rasheed highlighted the methodology adopted by Saudi Arabia in the field of urban development, noting that Saudi Arabia has adopted an approach to developing comprehensive strategies in urban development and governance, which has contributed to increasing the effectiveness of its management and achieving its development goals. He said that on the global level, such forums, including the Urban Community Engagement Initiative, can play a pivotal role in providing the necessary tools, including, for example, funding sources that would support city leaders in implementing their projects, and Saudi Arabia is a strong supporter of efforts to create new financial tools to support cities, and to restructure multilateral development banks that would provide the opportunity to develop financial support tools for cities. Al-Rasheed also participated in the launch of the first book issued by the U20 Urban Community Engagement Group, which includes the visions and ideas of some of the world's leading thinkers and leaders in the field of urban development. The book included an article by Al-Rasheed, entitled "Enlightened leadership for cities... A new model for a sustainable urban future," which discussed the importance of enhancing the training and development of city leaders to help them face the challenges of the future. He said that achieving the requirements of urban development requires a clear framework for governance and comprehensive strategic planning centered around competitive advantage. While many institutions offer training programs in disciplines such as urban planning, civil engineering and public administration, there is a scarcity of specialized training programs for city leaders that provide a comprehensive approach that focuses on the technical, social and economic aspects of their roles. According to some forecasts, the number of cities with a population of one million or more will increase from 700 to 1,600 by 2080, Al-Rasheed stated that expectations indicate that an estimated 2 million urban leadership professionals will need training programs over the next 35 years to meet the expected demand for city leaders with the required competencies. "Urban development plans must include mechanisms to address prevailing issues including poverty and social inclusion, with a focus on preparing the next generation of city leaders to meet the challenges that cities around the world will continue to face," Al-Rasheed said. At the conclusion of the summit, a closed session was held for the leaders of the world cities in the U20, attended by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, in which Al-Rasheed stressed the importance of social integration in urban development of cities, and Saudi Arabia's commitment to the principles of sustainability, environmental conservation, social mobility, and economic empowerment.
