Viktor Koksharov: UN-Habitat is to Serve the Further Internationalization of Ekaterinburg

15:51, September 11, 2019

World Cities Day will be held in the capital of the Ural region at the end of October under the auspices of the United Nations

The decision to hold World Cities Day in Ekaterinburg was taken at the first United Nations Human Settlements Program assembly in May 2019. In previous years, the UN honoured Shanghai, Milan, Quito and Liverpool to host this event.

"I am very pleased that Ekaterinburg was the first city in our country to be chosen to host such a major international event as World Cities Day," says Viktor Koksharov, Rector of Ural Federal University.

According to Mr Koksharov, internationalization is a need of time, which has become one of the main priorities in the activities of the university. Today, more than 3,200 international students from 81 countries are studying at the university. The list of Ural Federal University partners includes about 500 foreign universities.

"University scientists are implementing several applied research projects in cooperation with colleagues from Germany, the United States, South Korea and other countries," said the rector of Ural Federal University.

Ural Federal University has long been the largest venue for international events. In 2014, the final of the ICPC world programming championship took place here. In April 2016, the university hosted the First Forum of Rectors of the BRICS Network University, and in June – the International Tournament for Young Physicists.

The university makes a significant contribution to the study of different cultures and is a meeting place for them. In 2008, the Ural Federal University established the Confucius Institute, a centre of Chinese language and culture. In 2013, the university opened Cultural Center of Thailand, and in 2016 – Center for Iranian Studies.

"Every year, more than 100 foreign delegations representing the world's leading universities, diplomatic agencies, large companies and enterprises visit the university. I do not doubt that even during the forthcoming World Cities Day the guests will be able to visit Ural Federal University and make sure that our doors are always open for fruitful cooperation with scientists from all over the world," emphasized Mr Koksharov.

Besides, the host city of World Cities Day is preparing proposals on the format and subtopic of the event. For example, the previous sub-themes were "Advanced Urban Transformation" in Shanghai, "Design for Living Together" in Milan, "Building Resilient and Resilient Cities" in Liverpool. The subtheme of Ekaterinburg is connected with innovative development.

Reference 

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is a United Nations programme that coordinates human settlements development activities, focusing on two priority areas, that are appropriate housing for all and sustainable urban development. UN-Habitat was founded in 1978. UN-Habitat maintains its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya.