Call to protect our cities, environment as Arabian Cities Day marked

MUSCAT, MARCH 16 - Both urban and rural lives are crucial to any growing country and efforts should be made to protect them vis-à-vis the environmental balancing, according to the participants of the Arab Cities Day.

Arab Cities Day is observed on March 15 in commemoration of the establishment of the League of Arab Cities in 1967. Oman celebrated the Day along with other countries in the Arabian Peninsula under the auspices of Mohsin bin Mohammed al Shaikh, Chairman of Muscat Municipality.

“Arab Cities Day is a day dedicated to give a thought and recheck on the way we protect our cities in harmony with the environment. I hope we need to seek ways for further awareness on protecting the environment and inculcating the habit of supporting environment friendly habitats”, the Muscat Municipality Chairman told the Observer.

The theme for this year’s Arab Cities Day, which is celebrated by all Arab countries, is ‘Social Responsibility and Volunteering Work’.

This year, the Day was celebrated in association with various volunteering associations and NGOs from across the country, with focus on protecting the environment and helping the needy around us.

Muscat Municipality enjoys partnership with Arab institutions specialised in the field of municipal employment, most notably the ATO (Arab Towns Organisation), through the exchange of experiences and knowledge sharing and expertise exchange.

World Cities Day which is celebrated later this year aims to promote the interest of the international communities in global urbanisation, to encourage and promote bilateral cooperation among countries and cities in facing both opportunities and challenges of rapid urbanisation, while enhancing their contribution to sustainable urban development. While the overall theme of the World Cities Day is Better City, Better Life, last year saw world leaders descending on the United Kingdom to brainstorm on building sustainable and resilient cities.

“Last year’s celebration, on the 51st anniversary of the ATO, was a part of the goals of sustainable development agenda 2030. This year’s commemorative slogan revolves around CSR and Volunteering whereas it was sustainable development last year”, he added.

“Maintaining the environment and keeping the same even better than it used to be is the responsibility of each and every citizen and expatriate, and let’s all volunteer to achieve this goal.”