Veliaj in Geneva, presents the transformation of Tirana in the UN Forum for Cities

Veliaj was also the co-chair of the session that opened the second session of the Forum, where they became mayors of many European cities, such as Vilnius, Riga, Madrid, Ghent, etc. In this session the vision of local leaders to build sustainable communities emerged.

In his speech at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Veliaj stressed that Tirana decided to join cities such as Paris, Milan and London, which adapted the structure of cities to the needs after the pandemic for sustainable development.

More dedicated bicycle lanes, wider sidewalks, hybrid buses for public transport, charging stations for electric cars, fiscal incentives for electric movement and car-free days, Orbital Forest, planting 2 million trees, and neighborhoods “15 min ”Designed by Casamonti and Boeri, were some of the initiatives mentioned by the mayor of Tirana, which are taking place in the Albanian capital.

Veliaj said that development and transformation projects such as the Pyramid and other initiatives that lead young people towards technology, have given another impetus to the Tirana of the future.

The mayor did not leave without mentioning the solidarity of the Albanian capital for what is happening in Ukraine. “Tirana stands by Ukraine! In these dramatic times, we wanted to show our friendship as we once did for Jews, our Kosovar brothers and Afghans last year, because we come from the same cradle where our Saint Teresa was born, an icon of Albanians, of God’s love, of the poor and those in need around the world “, said Veliaj at the UN, highlighting the fact that in Tirana a street near the Russian and Serbian embassies has been named” Free Ukraine “. He mentioned that on April 8 in Tirana a large demonstration in support of the Ukrainian people was called.

Veliaj closed his speech with an invitation to visit Tirana, the European Capital of Youth for 2022.