Addis Ababa, 27 June 2023 (TDI): The theme of the Forum was Russia-Africa Sustainable Urban Future: Exchange of Experience and Partnerships for Common Goals.
The two-day Forum was held in Ethiopia, where Ethiopian and Kenyan officials participated both physically and virtually.
It was organized by the joint efforts of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the United Nations Association of Russia, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
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Evgeny Terekhin, Ambassador of Russia to Ethiopia, Alexey Borisov, and First Deputy Chairman of the UNA-Russia welcomed the participants.
UN and African Union Commission officials, high-level representatives of Russian and Ethiopian cities, academia, youth, and NGOs were Present at the event.
The first day of the Forum was reserved for the development of urban population and cooperation between cities of Russia and Africa.
The second day was dedicated to economic, environmental, humanitarian cooperation, cultural and social, scientific, and technical prospects for partnership between Russia and Africa.
Sustainable Development Goals
Different regions shared their experiences on sustainable urban development. Alexey Borisov said that this meeting was important to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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He also said that Moscow has cut air pollution by half in the last decade, with half of the city’s land covered in green.
Evgeny Terekhin, in the meeting, said that Russian cities are showing progress in urban development that Russia wants to share with the African cities.
The Russia-Africa Forum on Sustainable Urban Forum’s report will be presented at the second Russia-Africa Forum that is set to start on 27 July in St. Petersburg.
He said that urban development cannot be measured by numbers, but should be measured by actual and visible growth.
The Russian Ambassador also expressed his support for the development of urban areas in the country.
Russia is also interested in the natural resources of Africa as the Russian oil company Rosneft has signed agreements with many African countries.
