RIYADH: The Eastern Province Development Authority Urban Observatory Center has recently been certified as a member of UN Habitat’s Global Urban Observatory Network.
GUO-Net is a global information and capacity-building network of local, national and regional urban observatories convened by UN Habitat.
Fahad Almutlaq, CEO of Sharqia Development Authority, one of the regional development authorities in Saudi Arabia, took part in GUO-Net discussions on the certification process and consultations on the establishment of a network steering committee.
“This is a very exciting development for the authority and for the region. It confirms our positioning as a leading Urban Observatory Center in specific and our positioning as a forward-thinking Urban Planning Authority. It also attests to our unique positioning between academia and practice, international standards and our national processes and procedures,” he said.
“Such achievement will provide a platform for our internationalization agenda and enables cross-pollination with other leading urban observatories across the world. I truly appreciate the efforts of my colleagues, we have achieved this target through real collaboration, determination and passion.”
Urban observatories around the world are responsible for a wide range of functions including data gathering and analysis, research and knowledge development, policy analysis, and capacity development to enable the growth and development of cities and regions consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
There are about 374 urban observatories that GUO-Net coordinates worldwide, with 101 in Africa, 143 in Asia and 130 in Latin America.
