Ville de Montréal
MEDIA SUPPORT AT THE 12TH WORLD CONGRESS
The president of Metropolis and mayor of Montreal, the honourable Denis Coderre, this morning held an exclusive press conference on the 12th World Metropolis Congress. This event brought the main Quebec media to Montreal City Hall.
"As mayor of Montreal and also as president of Metropolis, the world association of large metropolises, I would like to thank the Quebec government for their important contribution. It is fitting that Montreal, the French-speaking capital of North America, which today celebrates its 375th birthday and is a leader on several fronts in the area of local governance, host this great event that we hope to make as accessible as possible to everyone involved", said the mayor of Montreal, Mr Denis Coderre.
As host city, Montreal can count on the support of first-rate partners for the organisation of the Congress, including the financial contribution of the International Relations and La Francophonie ministry and the Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy ministry of Quebec.
"The large metropolises are drivers of economic development, places of social innovation and real poles of attraction. The International Relations and La Francophonie ministry is happy to make a financial contribution to the running of the 12th World Metropolises Congress in Montreal. Our joint efforts make a daily contribution to Montreal's prosperity and to Quebec's international projection. I also salute the desire to open this event up to the French-speaking world in order to invite the members of the International French-Speaking Mayors Association (AIMF) to hold their annual general meeting on the fringe of Metropolis" affirmed the International Relations and La Francophonie minister, Mrs Christine St-Pierre.
"With the gradual urbanisation of the world, the strategic role of metropolises in economic development is growing. That is why the government is supporting Montreal in a bill recognising its special status as a metropolis. Our metropolis has an extraordinary capacity to host major international events like the 12th World Metropolis Congress which projects the metropolis and has significant economic benefits for Quebec's citizens", declared Mr Martin Coiteux, Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy minister, Public Safety minister and minister responsible for the Montreal region.
We note that one hundred mayors of the world's large cities will take part in the Congress and 200 speakers, including Philippe Le Houérou, executive vice-president of the International Finance Corporation (World Bank), Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Louis Zacharilla, co-founder of the International Forum of intelligent cities, and Alexandre Taillefer, senior partner of XPND Capital.
"The business community is an essential partner for metropolises in identifying innovative solutions to the challenges of our times, particularly with respect to economic development. Due to its distinctive nature, the Congress is a unique platform for sharing best practices and pinpointing the major challenges at international scale", declared Mrs Monique Leroux, President of the board of directors of the 12th Metropolis Congress.
If you have not yet confirmed your presence at the 12th World Metropolis Congress, enrol as soon as possible by means of the link: montreal2017.metropolis.org.