Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Madinah is participating in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative for the first time. Mayor of Madinah Region Eng. Fahad Albuliheshi is representing Madinah city as one of the cities from the Middle East and the Asian continent.

Mayors of nine countries from six continents around the world are attending the initiative. The countries also include the United States, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Brazil and South Africa.

The initiative comes within the seventh batch of the flagship program of the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University in the United States of America. The program aims to equip mayors and senior city officials to tackle complex challenges in their cities and improve the quality of life of their residents.

The program’s objectives also include improving key organizational practices, using data, and advancing cooperation and innovation between various sectors to make a positive impact on societies to improve the quality of life for residents and achieving sustainable economic development in cities.

Albuliheshi and other participants, during their periodic meetings over the course of this year until May 2024, will have brainstorm sessions, share experiences and learn about various practices through workshops. They would also be familiarized with the mechanism for executive development of the public sector and improving the lifestyles of urban residents.

This is within the framework of the efforts made by the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University to improve public administration and leadership, as well as governance to drive lasting change in five key areas such as education, environment, government innovation, public health, and the arts as cities face a host of growing global challenges.

The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is a collaboration between Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to equip mayors and senior city officials to tackle complex challenges in their cities and improve the quality of life of their residents.

Launched in 2017, the Initiative has worked with 465 mayors and 2271 senior city officials in 524 cities worldwide. The Initiative advances research and develops new curriculum and teaching tools to help city leaders solve real-world problems. By engaging Harvard graduate students in research and field work, the Initiative supports current city leaders while investing in future generations.

The Initiative also advances the field of city leadership through teaching, research, and new curricular materials that help city leaders drive government performance and address pressing social problems.

This program helps mayors succeed in addressing the most pressing issues that their cities face from creating jobs to fighting climate change.