According to Farid Mukhametshin, the activities of local governments and their close collaboration are of utmost importance to Tatarstan. He emphasized the significant role of the Earth Charter in promoting the principle of the “sustainable development”. “We are proud to become the first region in the world to endorse the Earth Charter back in 2001,” he said.

Taking into account his 15 years of work in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Farid Mukhametshin noted that the development of local self-government had always been one of the key issues on the agenda of the Congress.

Ms. Emilia Saiz thanked the republican authorities for their support and called for their active participation in the work the UCLG.

“There is a need to improve local and regional governance and strengthen authorities' self-government. Our priority is to promote the principles of peace, culture and comprehensive development across the globe,” she said.

The meeting was also attended by Pablo Fernandez, Executive Director of UCLG, Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan, President of the UCLG Eurasian Branch and other officials. Since it was set up in 2004, the United Cities and Local Governments worldwide organization has brought together nearly 240,000 local governments representing over 140 countries. The UCLG defends the values, objectives and interests of local governments on the world stage in the processes of global decision-making. It is the largest local government organization in the world and is the general partner of the UN in the work with local authorities.