In April, CityNet Secretariat team, led by Chief Executive Officer Jeong-kee Kim, undertook a succesful outreach tour in first Vietnam and then Cambodia to meet longstanding CityNet members. It was clear from the outcome of the meetings that there is a lot of excitement in the region for cities to take the lead in crafting a sustainable urban future.
CityNet team crossed the border into Cambodia to meet with Phnom Penh City’s Vice Governor Mr. Nuon Pharat. Mr. Nuon was very eager to reengage as a member of CityNet. Under his tenure, Phnom Penh has been very active in international networks and has aligned many of its new urban policies with global agendas such as the SDGs. Phnom Penh seeks to leverage its existing sister city relationships with many regional CityNet member cities and will also be proud to host upcoming capacity building events. The city leadership feels confident that they are on track to achieve their vision of sustainable urban development and improve the quality of life of its residents.
As has become his trademark, CityNet CEO Kim has always been willing to meet with political leaders of CItyNet member cities to realign their urban development plans with the network. Based on the enthusiasm that he encountered among the cities visited on this outreach mission, we can see that his warm, open-handed approach has helped to reignite activity within the network in this region which had been slowed from the pandemic and other recent challenges such as changes in political leadership. The Secretariat greatly looks forward to upcoming contributions from CityNet members in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Chris Di Gennaro is a Program Officer at CityNet, where he manages the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform, a joint project with UNESCAP and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Previously, he worked at ESCAP to organize an urban innovation themed startup competition. Chris holds a Master of Korean Studies from Yonsei University and a Bachelor of Psychology from Vassar College. He is keenly interested in the workings of cities and facilitating sustainable urban development.
