In his inaugural interaction with the Liberian media upon his return from the United States of America (USA), Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Tamba Koijee has informed Liberians that Monrovia is being chosen to host the Global Parliament of Mayors next year.
According to the head of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), Liberia was selected through a unanimous vote.
He pointed out that the conference is expected to see the convergence of almost 1000 mayors from around the world, which is an opportunity to showcase the city of Monrovia and other cities in the country.
He said the conference will have a profound effect on Monrovia’s diplomatic relations with cities across the globe, and even result in the exchange of Waste Management models would help make Monrovia a green, and clean city.
Mayor Koijee made the disclosure on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at a news conference in Monrovia, while praising colleagues for their support.
The MCC boss mentioned that the conference will provide an opportunity to the City of Monrovia for a new beginning in terms of cleanness and center-of-attraction.
“We thought it was fair enough and important for Africa to be given the opportunity to host such a great conference. We are grateful to Nigeria in particular for the support given to Liberia and the rest including Kenya, South Africa and Egypt. These countries helped to elevate the conversations knowing that Monrovia was one of the first cities in Africa,” the MCC boss stated.
According to him, Africa usually struggles to get such events organized on the continent; therefore, he will ensure that the young people interact with world leaders and leaders of cities that are leading the change globally.
The Global Parliament of Mayors is a governance body of and for mayors from all continents with a vision to the world in which mayors, their cities and networks are equal partners in building global governance for an inclusive and sustainable world.
Mayor Koijee asserted that many of the African mayors were denied the opportunity to represent their various countries and cities in particular due to the process of getting selected.
He said mayors have been selected through a committee who will help the city of Monrovia in hosting the conference of mayors.
The Mayors of many cities from across the globe convene annually as part of an Intergovernmental organization called the Global Parliament of Mayors.
Major transnational and human security challenges are impacting cities all around the globe and the mayors meet frequently to create shared multilateral activities to address these issues, including good governance, illegal immigration, terrorism, money laundering, drug and human trafficking, and cybercrime.
Meanwhile, Mayor Koijee said the Monrovia City has been admitted into the world Council of Mayors and it provides an opportunity to sell Liberia.
At the same time, he denied reports of US State Department Invitation on Jestina Taylor Saga
“We are grateful for the invitation extended to us by the State Department of African Affairs, particularly West Africa. The department was interested in understanding how things are in Liberia and progress made by the CDC-led government,” Mayor Koijee bragged.
Mayor Koijee accentuated that the department was interested in understanding some of the issues of the rule of law and governance in Liberia.
“It sounds extremely comical when people begin to misrepresent the facts. How can I be a person of interest to a place that is considered a world superpower? Is it that I am powerful enough and they do not disclose it,” he said.
“There’s nowhere in the world that the US will extend an invitation to an individual and not make it clear or fear you,” he intoned.
“Some of the things we said out there are beginning to manifest which includes some Liberians who have different opinions about the country and were given an opportunity to protest on August 24 in Monrovia,” he further intoned.
Mayor Koijee said under the leadership of Patrick Sudue made food available for the protesters, stating “they are citizens and their rights must be respected under our leadership.”
“We fought for democracy in Liberia and went to jail so it saddens our hearts to see the wrong things. We will protect the rights to disagree and we will ensure that your rights are protected,” he, among other things, added.
