Suwon's Governance Receives Global Praise

Suwon is receiving attention from countries around the world for its 'governance.'

Suwon's governance policy for urban innovation received high praise at the 'Seventh World Urban Forum' held in Medellin, Colombia.

Suwon announced on the 13th that at the Seventh World Urban Forum held by UN-Habitat on the morning of the 10th (local time), Second Deputy Mayor Lee Jae-jun delivered a presentation based on 'Cases of Suwon's Governance Policy for Urban Innovation' in a session themed 'Eco-Cities for Sustainable Development,' which received strong positive response.

At the event, Deputy Mayor Lee focused on introducing the Good City Government Committee for policy establishment, operation of citizen planning groups, citizen-participatory village development projects, implementation of participatory budgeting with residents, operation of citizen jury courts for dispute resolution, and the successful hosting of Eco-Mobility Suwon 2013, receiving high praise from attendees.

Suwon added significance to the fact that it participated at the official invitation of UN-Habitat, the organizer of the Seventh World Urban Forum, and presented cases of Suwon's governance policy for urban innovation to experts from countries around the world.

Andrea San Gil from the Costa Rican government stated, "Suwon's diverse experiences and cases for urban innovation are presenting the direction that future cities should advance toward for innovators dreaming of urban change," and added, "I am confident that Suwon's citizen-participatory urban innovation cases will become a model practice of local governments for urban equity and development, which is the theme of this Seventh World Urban Forum."

Dr. Diese A Geng Montog, a climate change specialist from Peru who showed deep interest in Eco-Mobility Suwon 2013, said, "It is nearly impossible to live without cars in the original downtown area rather than a newly constructed new city, and successfully leading this experiment is miraculous," and reportedly gave high praise, saying, "The passion of Suwon citizens in responding to climate change is truly remarkable."

The English-language edition of Suwon's governance administration case study and the Eco-Mobility Suwon 2013 introductory brochures distributed at the venue sold out immediately upon the session's start, and inquiries for materials flooded in from local government officials and international organizations from Brazil, Ethiopia, Maldives, Switzerland, Colombia, and Yemen, according to Suwon.

Second Deputy Mayor Lee Jae-jun stated, "The inquiries and interest from local government officials and experts from countries around the world regarding Suwon's governance policy cases for urban innovation were high," and added, "Going forward, Suwon will make all-out efforts to raise its status as a global model city for citizen-participatory urban innovation."

Meanwhile, the World Urban Forum, held biennially by UN-Habitat, took place in Medellin, Colombia this year under the theme 'Urban Equity of Development—Cities for Life.'

Various large and small conferences and workshops were held under sub-themes including 'Urban Development Equity Legislation,' 'Urban Planning for Social Integration,' and 'Improved Standards for Urban Regeneration,' with approximately 34,000 participants from countries around the world.