Closing Address by Minister Chee Hong Tat at the Mayors Forum of the World Cities Summit 2025
Jul 4, 2025
Good morning. It has been a very productive and enriching World Cities Summit Mayors Forum.
I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to making this Forum a very successful one – our participating cities and organisations, moderators, the WCS Young Leaders, and all our delegates. Most of all, I would like to thank our gracious host, Mayor Ludwig and his team, the City of Vienna, for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements. You have given us the privilege of experiencing first-hand Vienna’s innovative approaches to urban development – and of course, teaching the delegates how to do the waltz as a bonus.
Recap of Ideas and Initiatives Shared During the Mayors Forum
Through the many discussions over the past two days, it is clear to me - and I hope it is the same for all of you - that all of us have a common goal to create more liveable and sustainable cities for all. While each city may have our own unique challenges, the solutions we create locally can often resonate far beyond our borders. Platforms such as the Mayor’s Forum can give us the chance to learn from one another, to compare notes and share best experiences each other’s experiences and adapt these insights to our own contexts.
Let me share a few some examples that we have heard over the past two days. In the area of housing:
The Deputy Governor of Algiers has showed us how Algiers has created multiple pathways to home ownership, while providing rental housing for those who need it most. These efforts reflect a deep commitment to keep housing within reach for every family – and it’s a vision that many cities, including Singapore, hold closely and continue to hold closely.
In the area of municipal services, we have seen how we can harness data and technology to transform the way we serve our citizens.
The Mayor of Makassar shared how his city has created a “super app” that can bring together multiple public services into one platform. Residents can now access everything they need in one place without having to visit different portals for various services.
We also saw this citizen-centric approach in Seven Transformation, or 7T, plan from Caracas. Mayor Jorge Cordero shared how they developed this strategic plan through extensive community consultations across the country. And today, the residents of Caracas are empowered to shape national priorities, and also supervise transformation projects. This gives us a very good reminder that when governments actively partner our citizens, we can deliver more effective services for all.
Earlier today, we also heard about the different approaches that cities have taken to managing two critical urban resources: energy and water.
We heard from Fukuoka, a city that knows first-hand the realities of water scarcity. The Mayor shared how Fukuoka had established a citywide water distribution control system to manage flows, detect leaks, and to conserve every drop possible. He also showed us that with discipline and foresight, it is possible to do more with less.
Our counterparts in Vienna has also demonstrated resilience with Danube Island, which turned flood risk into opportunity. What began as a flood protection system has now developed into one of Vienna’s most beloved public spaces.
Launch of Future of CBDs Publication
Ladies and gentlemen, these rich exchanges remind us that knowledge sharing is powerful. When cities share their challenges and successes in a very open and collegiate way, we can all benefit. In this spirit, I am pleased to share the launch of an e-publication authored by the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) in collaboration with consultancy firm Arup.
Titled “Shaping Future Central Business Districts: Perspectives from Global Stakeholders”, the publication showcases how different cities are revitalising their Central Business Districts in innovative ways.
Take Antwerp as an example. Antwerp’s adaptive reuse efforts are breathing new life into their heritage buildings, most notably transforming Europe’s first skyscraper into a vibrant cultural and retail tower. Antwerp shows us how cities could honour their heritage while boldly reimagining their Central Business Districts for the future. We can keep both heritage and development. They are not mutually exclusive – we can do both, but it requires planning, design and consultation.
Call to Action
Cities around the world are also grappling with similar challenges – climate change, pandemics, and technological disruption. Tackling these challenges require bold and decisive action now. As leaders and representatives of cities, we have a responsibility to galvanise stakeholders across the people, public, and private sectors to seize opportunities and shape a better shared future together.
The most innovative solutions often emerge when we reach out and learn from one another. Why is that the case? Because if I only think of solutions from my own comfort zone, based on what I am familiar with, the likelihood of me coming out with a new breakthrough idea is lower as compared to if I step out of my comfort zone and expose myself to new ways of thinking and new practices. I think a combination of being clear about what we want to do but also being open to learning from others and sharing best practices with one another would give us the highest chances of success. And to do this, it is very important for us to collaborate –collaboration is key to success. And while we strengthen our connections between cities, we must also continue to reinforce our vertical partnerships. I am very inspired by what Mayor Ludwig shared in his opening speech, when he said that “If Mayors rule the world, the world will be a better place”. We also heard from Clarence, from the National League of Cities of the US, where he shared that what cities do, can also help to inspire and influence other levels of government within the country. In particular, I want to thank our friends from around the world participating in this Forum, including our Mayors from various cities in the U.S., for being here even though today is the Fourth of July, US’s the US.’ Independence Day. Thank you for being here and giving us a more complete picture of the different voices and perspectives from the U.S.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen, our work is not just about managing the present. I think yesterday, one of the participants said that we can’t grow trees overnight. Indeed, that is very true. There is a saying in Chinese, which goes along the lines of “when the previous generation plant trees, it is the future generation that can benefit from it”. I think the concept of always thinking about how our actions today have an impact on our children and our grandchildren - of creating a legacy - is something that is very important for all of us as mayors and as members of government. That is why I am particularly happy to see good participation from our young leaders here in this Forum. I hope our young leaders will continue to participate actively in the discussion, share their views, their hopes and aspirations of future, and for us to remind ourselves that what we do today, will have an impact on the kind of future we leave behind for them. And what we must do is to leave behind a better future for our children and grandchildren, than what we have inherited from our forefathers.
While this year’s Mayors Forum is coming to a close, I hope that the spirit of learning and the sharing of best practices will continue well beyond these two days. When we next meet, I look forward to hearing even more success stories that have grown from the conversations we started here. I also hope to see more cities coming onboard from around the world.
On that note, I would like to invite all of you to join us for next year’s Mayors Forum and World Cities Summit in Singapore, from 14 to 16 June 2026. This will be the 10th edition of the Summit, and for this milestone year, we have chosen the theme “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: ACT Now!”.
I look forward to welcoming all of you to Singapore next year. Thank you very much and have a safe trip home.