Mayor Park Won-soon Proposes Establishment of 'International Organization for Joint Infectious Disease Response' Among Global Cities

Introduction of Seoul's 'S-Bangyeok' at CAC Global Summit ... 42 Cities Unite to Announce the 'Seoul Declaration'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, proposes the formation of an inter-city consultative body for infectious disease response during an online meeting attended by mayors from 42 overseas cities. Tentatively named 'CAAP (Cities Alliance Against Pandemic),' it is the first international organization among city governments in the field of infectious diseases.

Seoul announced that on the afternoon of the second day of the CAC Global Summit 2020, the 2nd, during the 'City Government Mayors' Meeting,' Mayor Park and the participating world city mayors will unite their intentions to establish CAAP and jointly issue the 'Seoul Declaration,' outlining the roles of the participating cities.

At this event, Mayor Park delivers a keynote speech titled 'Seoul's Proposal to Overcome Urban Crises in the Pandemic Era (Subtitle: "Many Together Make a Way"),' introducing Seoul's S-Quarantine know-how and proposing the establishment of a city consultative body for infectious disease response. The purpose is to proactively respond to global infectious disease situations such as COVID-19 through solidarity and cooperation among cities centered on an international organization, and furthermore, to establish an infectious disease response model applicable to cities worldwide.

Seoul's S-Quarantine in response to COVID-19 emphasizes ▲ speed, transparency, and innovation ▲ high civic awareness demonstrated through city government leadership aligned with the central government, social distancing, and mask-wearing ▲ and solidarity and cooperation within the international community.

Following this, major cities from each continent will present their COVID-19 response strategies. These include Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who directly purchased domestically produced COVID-19 test kits in April, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who will explain their response cases.

In the free discussion involving all city mayors, experiences from each city to overcome COVID-19 will be shared, and solutions for inter-city solidarity and cooperation through collective intelligence will be sought. Various discussions will unfold over approximately 90 minutes on how the lives of city residents will change if infectious diseases like COVID-19 recur in cities worldwide, and what mayors need to prepare.

Following the opening of the English online platform CAC to share Seoul's S-Quarantine policies and know-how at the request of world cities, this online meeting where city government mayors directly collaborate is expected to be a momentum to strengthen the infectious disease response capabilities of city governments. The video conference will be broadcast live with simultaneous Korean-English interpretation on Seoul City's official YouTube channel, allowing people worldwide to watch simultaneously.

Mayor Park said, "Infectious diseases can occur anytime regardless of borders and race. They are especially highly transmissible in large cities where many people reside," adding, "I boldly propose the establishment of a city consultative body to enable transparent information disclosure and rapid human and material support through global solidarity and cooperation. We will join world cities for safer urban environments for global citizens."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.