City representatives from various countries at the opening ceremony of WCS 2024

[New Taipei City News] New Taipei City Deputy Secretary-general Ke Ching-chung led a delegation to Singapore to attend the 2024 World Cities Summit (WCS). Initiated by Singapore in 2008, the WCS is an international summit that gathers city leaders, experts, and scholars from around the world to address challenges faced by cities through events such as the Mayors Forum, Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, and Young Leaders Symposium. The summit serves as a crucial exchange platform for city leaders and industry representatives to discuss urban living and sustainability challenges.


New Taipei City’s Deputy Secretary-general Ke Ching-chung attends the 2024 World Cities Summit in Singapore

Deputy Secretary-general Ke attended the three-day intercity exchange from June 2 to June 4 in Singapore. This year's WCS theme was "Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Rejuvenate, Reinvent, and Reimagine." City leaders from 93 cities, including New Taipei, Taipei, Seoul, Bangkok, Melbourne, and New York, convened to discuss building smart, resilient, and regenerative cities. Each shared how their cities dealt with challenges. During the Mayors Forum, Singapore's Minister for National Development Desmond Lee emphasized the importance of global city collaboration to address issues such as climate change and population aging and to collectively achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


Deputy Secretary-general Ke with Taiwanese city representatives at the World Cities Summit, including Lin Ding-chao, Director of the Economic Affairs Department of Keelung City (first from left), Chang Da-chun, Deputy Secretary-general of Taichung City Government (first from right), and Tsai Yu-ling, Advisor on Municipal Administration of Taipei City Government (second from right)
 
In addition, the organizers arranged for city representatives to visit HDB public housing in Singapore’s North West District to learn how volunteer services and cultural activities foster community awareness. Deputy Secretary-general Ke also exchanged views on housing and community building with North West District Mayor Alex Yam.


Deputy Secretary-general Ke with Singapore’s Minister for National Development Desmond Lee at the WCS Mayors Forum

Afterwards, from June 5 to June 7, Deputy Secretary-general Ke attended the First Session of the 2024 United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) Executive Bureau Meeting in North Minahasa, Indonesia. The three-day meeting brought together 160 city representatives from 47 local governments and associations across 10 countries.


Deputy Secretary-general Ke exchanges views with Alex Yam, Mayor of Singapore’s North West District

This year's UCLG ASPAC theme was "Enhancing Sustainable Tourism and Creative Economy through Asia-Pacific Collaboration." New Taipei City was the only invited Taiwanese city to give a speech. On June 6, Deputy Secretary-general Ke delivered a presentation at the "Rural-Urban Revitalization Linkages in Tourism" session, showcasing New Taipei’s cultural diversity, ethnic richness, and sustainable initiatives. He also promoted New Taipei’s attractions such as the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails and Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, as well as green transportation options like the New Taipei Metro and YouBike to demonstrate the city's diverse aspects. The presentation received enthusiastic responses from the city representatives, who showed great interest in New Taipei's tourism. Other cities, such as Jakarta and Yogyakarta, also presented at the session.


Deputy Secretary-general Ke with UCLG ASPAC Secretary-general Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi

To enhance New Taipei’s influence within UCLG ASPAC, City Councilor Samantha Tai will run for the Vice Chair of the UCLG ASPAC Standing Committee on Women in Local Governments for 2023-2025. She has garnered support from the Governors Association of Korea (GAROK), Catbalogan City in the Philippines, Taipei City, and Taichung City, with an aim of fostering gender equality among local governments through increased international partnerships.


Deputy Secretary-general Ke with Dakila Carlo Cua, Governor of Quirino Province, Chair of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), and President of UCLG ASPAC


City representatives at the opening ceremony of the First Session of the 2024 UCLG ASPAC Executive Bureau Meeting


City Councilor Samantha Tai (second from right), Deputy Secretary-general Ke, Taipei City Government Counselor Yang Ching-hui (first from left), Taichung City Deputy Secretary-general Lin Yu-hung (first from right), and UCLG ASPAC Secretary-general Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi


City Councilor Samantha Tai (second from right) speaks at the UCLG ASPAC Standing Committee on Women in Local Goverments


Deputy Secretary-general Ke delivers a speech on New Taipei’s tourism at the First Session of the 2024 UCLG ASPAC Executive Bureau Meeting session "Rural-Urban Revitalization Linkages in Tourism"