The Mayor of Monrovia, Jefferson Tamba Koijee, and his Monrovia City Corporation have been graded by the US government as being strongly involved with strengthening democratic commitments and delivering on their public policies to increase transparency and accountability, address corruption and provide critical municipal services, evident by his invitation to attend this year’s US President Joseph Biden Summit of Democracy, a program of the US State Department.
The forum, moderated by Kevin Nelson, Urban Governance Lead on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Center, US Agency for International Development (USAID), prioritized discussions on cities that strengthen their democratic commitments and how local governments are delivering on their public policies to increase transparency and accountability, address corruption and provide critical municipal services.
With hundreds of sessions, this was the only democracy forum at the 11th World Urban Forum, held in Poland, that was organized by the US State Department.
This session served as an implementation-geared discussion on how cities and mayors can promote democracy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on accountability, transparency, and good governance.
Coordinated with a session at the Brussels Forum, this session also emphasized on the launch of the Global Declaration of Mayors for Democracy, a declaration which remains an integral output of the Biden Administration.
This networking session provided an opportunity for participants to discuss the aim of this declaration, and explored strategies that cities and local governments are undertaking to provide municipal services in a manner that is comprehensive, equitable. It focused on strengthening democratic values.
From the standpoint of the Monrovia City Government, Mayor Koijee delivered on the best practices for advancing the theme of “Transforming Our Cities for a Better Urban Future”, ensuring the best democratic and municipal practices in the context of the US government’s commitment to democracy, peace, and stability in the world over.
The Monrovia City Mayor shared thoughts on how cities continue to play important role in promoting democracy worldwide, and reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to the Global Declaration of Mayors for Democracy.
“We highlighted how our city is implementing frameworks and strategies that will advance the Sustainable Development Goals through the promotion of democratic institutions,” Mayor Koijee noted.
On December 9—10, 2021, President Biden held the first of two Summits for Democracy, which brought together leaders from government, civil society and the private sector in a shared effort to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats that are faced by democracies today through collective action. He intimated that “Democracy doesn’t happen by accident; we have to defend it, fight for it, strengthen it and renew it”.
WUF11 2022 took place in Katowice, Poland, from June 25—30, 2022. The event attracted a total of 17,003 attendees, with 10,799 participants from 155 countries attending in person. Approximately three-quarters of the gender-balanced participants came from Europe, while participants from Africa and Asia accounted for 7.5% and 8.7%, respectively.
Speakers at this forum included Kevin Nelson, Urban Governance Lead, Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Center, US Agency for International Development (USAID), moderator; Jefferson T. Koijee, Mayor, City of Monrovia, Liberia (invitee); Claudia Lopez, Mayor, City of Bogota, Columbia (invitee); Danny Ricchetti, Director, Intergovernmental Affairs, US Department of State; Nicole Lowery, Office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, US Department of State; Gary Bland, Senior Technical Advisor, Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Center, USAID (virtual); and Jose Alvarez Munoz, UCLG (invitee).