The first edition of the Arab European Cities Dialogue concluded in Riyadh on Sunday after three days of discussions under the theme "Bridging Cities, Building Futures." The forum was organized by the Riyadh Municipality in collaboration with the Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI), PLATFORMA, and VNG International. The conclusion of the event marked the culmination of a busy agenda featuring plenary sessions, workshops, and roundtable discussions that addressed key challenges and opportunities in sustainable urban development. The forum brought together high-level participation from mayors and city leaders from across the Arab world and Europe, along with representatives from international organizations, development funds, and municipal alliances. The sessions covered various cross-cutting themes, including cross-border cooperation in the session titled "Beyond Borders: Transforming Cities through Global Cooperation," climate action in "Towards Resilience: Climate Adaptation and Mitigation in Arab and European Cities," and future urban planning in "Digital Transformation in Urban Governance: Insights from European and Arab Cities." The forum also examined how local actions can align with global goals through the session "From Data to Impact: How Voluntary Local Reviews & SDG Localization Drive Development in Cities." A dedicated session titled "Perspectives on Riyadh's Urban Leap – CEOs Talk" highlighted Riyadh's development journey as a regional model of integrated planning and ambitious growth. In the "City Leadership Forum," chaired by Mayor of Riyadh and Chairman of AUDI Prince Dr. Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, city leaders discussed the forum's governance and future prospects. It was agreed to institutionalize the forum as a biennial platform for cross-border urban collaboration. Madrid was announced as the host city for the second edition in 2027. Future editions will focus on topics such as economic growth, urban identity, digital transformation, quality of life, culture and innovation, sustainable cities, and risk management. The "City Networking" session, on the other hand, emphasized enhancing cooperation among Arab and European city leaders through knowledge exchange, building strategic alliances to promote sustainable urban development, and fostering networking among delegates to ensure the forum's long-term institutional impact. The forum also showcased several impactful initiatives, notably the "Urban Financing Forum", where eight cities presented development projects totaling over SR6.2 billion, directly engaging with 4 international development funds. This initiative aims to foster cross-border investments and connect municipal projects with development capital. On the sidelines of the forum, Prince Dr. Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf held bilateral meetings with several European city officials, including mayors of Madrid, Amman, Damascus, and Turin, to strengthen international cooperation in urban planning, digital transformation, sustainability, and quality of life.
