Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan has signed the Pact of Free Cities and joined ranks with like-minded mayors to advocate democracy, freedom, and inclusion.
The Pact of Free Cities, a city network founded by the mayors of the Visegrad Four capitals (Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw), advocates the values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, and seeks to tackle challenges including climate change and social injustice. More than 20 cities from 13 countries have signed the expanded version of the pact.
The signing of the pact took place at a global mayor’s summit at the Budapest Forum in Hungary, which ran from September 16 to 17. The forum brought together city mayors, civic leaders, and representatives from businesses and academia. Issues under discussion included democratic participation, sustainable development, and medical and technological advancement. It is hoped that discussion at the forum will help stimulate innovation in various fields and lead to solutions to problems plaguing cities around the world.
In his opening remarks, Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony, who hosted the forum, said freedom and democracy were values shared by democratic countries across the world, and local governments could play an important role as they were the closest level of government to the public. He also welcomed the cities who had signed the Pact of Free Cities and called on local governments to work together to address the most pressing issues facing the world today.
Attending the forum virtually, Mayor Cheng said participation in the city network signaled Taoyuan’s determination to uphold the values of freedom, democracy, and inclusion.
“Taoyuan is a hub in Asia and home to Taoyuan International Airport, the gateway to Taiwan. Before the pandemic broke out in 2019, 18 flights flew from the city to Europe,” said Mayor Cheng, who also said that frequent interaction and the signing of the pact would enable Taoyuan to play a more active role internationally.
Mayor Cheng told the summit that back in the 1990s he was a leader in the most important student movement in the history of Taiwan and witnessed Taiwan’s transition to democracy. When he became Taoyuan City Mayor in 2014, he continued to push for various reforms and transitional justice. Mayor Cheng said he firmly believed that respect for different cultures and backgrounds are the cornerstone of city governance and he is committed to promoting the universal values of democracy and freedom.
“I am very happy to sign the Pact of Free Cities,” said Mayor Cheng. Once again thanking City of Budapest for the invitation to join forces with cities around the world to address these daunting challenges together.
Mayor Cheng is scheduled to take part in an online session of the Budapest Forum entitled “The Future of Healthcare in a Post-Pandemic World” on September 17, where he will share Taoyuan’s experience fighting the pandemic on social, economic, medical, and technological fronts, and Taoyuan’s future healthcare policies.