TEMPO.CO, Surabaya - Some 167 countries will gather in Surabaya to attend the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) event for Habitat III or preparatory meeting for habitat conference 3 in July 2016.

The meeting, which will be attended by 5,000 participants from various stakeholders, will be the last preparation before the Conference Habitat III is held in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016.

Habitat Conference is a forum for countries that has concerns for city issues. The forum has been held twice, Habitat Conference I in Vancouver in 1976, and Habitat Conference II in Istanbul in 1996.

Habitat Conference III with have Sustainable Urbanization theme. Country members will need to prepare a National Report containing city issues and discusses New Urban Agenda, which will become a mutual agreement. The Indonesian government have preapared the National Report.

Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini held a coordination meeting with representatives from the local government working group relevant, law enforcer, and the armed forces in the Mayor’s office on Thursday, in the preparation of the event.

Risma requested all stakeholders to cooperate in welcoming the participants who are the leaders and representatives of other countries, officials of UN, world environmental organization, and professional and academic society.

Although the event will be held next year, everything should be well-prepared, said Risma, because the event will be attended by nearly all state representatives from the globe, so she wants to form a special team in the committee.

In addition to the conference, Risma also wants to schedule a workshop and exhibition, and field visits in several locations as best practice as a city with a sustainable development.

The Surabaya administration also plans to make cultural promotion activities as an event to welcome the guests. One of them is by presenting Surabaya’s annual festival, including Kali Mas Festival and Kuliner Tunjungan Festival.

MOHAMMAD SYARRAFAH