The fifth UCLG ASPAC Congress opened at Taipei Regent Hotel on 3 September. In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Mayor of Taipei Lung-Bin Hau said that it was a very special occasion, with representatives from various cities in Taiwan and abroad gathering in Taipei to hold a fruitful discussion.

The 13 Taiwanese city representatives are from Kinmen, Lienchiang, Hualien, Taitung, Nantou, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Kaohsiang, Keelung, Taoyuan and New Taipei City. Also in attendance were 16 representatives from overseas cities. Mayor Hau extended a warm welcome to representatives from Taipei’s sister cities, Saint Salvador and Mbabane.

Mayor Hau expressed his gratitude to cities which supported Taipei City’s bid to host this year’s Congress. He also highlighted the fact that USLG ASPAC was founded in Taipei City ten years ago, making this year’s event an important milestone. Through this Congress, Taipei hopes to share its vision and insight with other cities and encourage local governments and cities to pursue further development and progress.

Mayor Hau mentioned that many cities, including Waterloo, Chiengmai, Stirling, Luxembourg and Colombo, have had long-term cooperation and exchanges with Taipei City. Mayor Hau took the opportunity to thank the mayors of those cities for supporting Taipei in hosting major international events, including the World Design Capital 2016, the Velo-City Global Conference and the 2010 International Flora Expo.

According to Mayor Hau, it is his duty as mayor to turn Taipei into a city with a vision. He attaches great importance to the role of design in his policies and aims to transform Taipei into a smart, green and sustainable city. The Total Recycling and Zero Landfill plan was drawn up in 2010. In upcoming workshops and seminars Mayor Hau will discuss with the representatives of other cities the progress Taipei City has made in environmental protection.

Mayor Hau said he was looking forward to a fruitful discussion in the four plenary sessions and also encouraged the other representatives to take the MRT or ride Youbike to visit major Taipei tourist destinations, such as the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101. He expressed his hope that delegates would be impressed by Taipei’s rich cultural heritage and the people’s friendliness and hospitality. On a lighter note, Mayor Hau also said that delegates would find a special pre-paid Easy Card in their conference pack, so they would have no excuse not to try the MRT.

Mayor Hau said that if delegates do not have enough time to explore Taipei during this four-day Congress, they are welcome to come back for the 2016 World Design Capital, the Velo-City Global Conference and the 2017 Taipei Summer Universiade. He expressed his hope that the fifth UCLG ASPAG Congress would be a great success and mark another golden year for Taipei City.

After the Mayors’ Forum, Mayor Lung-Bin Hau and other representatives signed the Taipei Declaration, proclaiming their resolution to improve public services, enhance quality of life and well-being, develop cities sustainably, minimize environmental impact and deepen cooperation among cities. The signing of the Taipei Declaration at today’s forum marks a milestone.