I am pleased to send greetings to the First Asian Mayors Forum. I congratulate the mayors, local leaders and others from across Asia on this timely initiative, which can contribute significantly to the strengthening of your role within your cities, in the region, and at the international level.

I pay special tribute to the Municipality of Tehran and to the secretariat of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly for initiating this undertaking. I very much hope you will sustain the partnership between mayors and parliamentarians that has been forged in convening this forum. As direct representatives of the people, and as a critical interface between various levels of governance, you can and must continue to share experiences, explore new perspectives and foster dynamic networking.

As mayors and people's representatives in the Asian region, you face tremendous opportunities and formidable challenges. You manage cities that are the locus of global change and transformation. Your cities have gained prominence in terms of global productivity and competitiveness. At the same time, at prevailing rates of urbanization the total population in Asia's cities will almost double in the next 40 years, with anticipated pressures on living standards, employment opportunities, and environmental protection.

Local authorities are close partners of the United Nations system. As we have reaffirmed to your umbrella organization, the United Cities and Local Governments, we will continue to work with you in pursuing our common agenda of development and peace. UN-Habitat, the focal point for local authorities within the UN system, provides the necessary space for contributing to global decision-making. And together with other UN agencies, UN-Habitat will strive to ensure that local authorities develop the requisite capacities for playing a rightful role in global development. Toward that end, the recently approved Guidelines on Decentralization and the Strengthening of Local Authorities offer a valuable framework for achieving this vision.

This is the urban millennium. We at the United Nations pledge our support in addressing the challenges facing the world's cities and urban communities. Please accept my best wishes for the success of your deliberations.