DAEJEON, President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday he will support the development of local governments so they can become key players on the world stage.
Yoon made the remark at the opening of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress held at the Daejeon Convention Center in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul.
The UCLG is the only international organization of local governments officially recognized by the United Nations, with around 240,000 local governments of 140 countries as members.
In his congratulatory remarks, Yoon said the challenges faced by the international community, including the pandemic and climate change, demand stronger solidarity not only between nations but also between local governments.
He also said the experiences of local governments will be of great help to overcoming climate issues and other problems faced by all of humanity if shared and expressed hope that solidarity between local governments will help increase freedom among the world’s citizens.
“Our government has selected as an administrative task the establishment of a local governments’ era in which everyone enjoys fair opportunities regardless of where they live and is doing its best to achieve this,” Yoon said.
“I believe the key to a local governments’ era lies in local governments discovering their growth engines on their own, with sufficient authority and responsibility, and the central government actively supporting this,” he added.
Yoon said the competitiveness of local governments translates directly to the competitiveness of the entire nation and works as the driving force behind a nation’s growth.
“The central government will actively support local governments so that they can further strengthen their financial capabilities and establish themselves as key players on the international stage,” he said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency