Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA Sulsel) - The Makassar municipality will host the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Mayor Forum (AMF) 2015 from September 7 to 10.
The event will be attended by some 2,000 guests, particularly mayors and district heads from 10 ASEAN member countries.
"Makassar as the host is ready to welcome 150 mayors from ASEAN member states and foreign ambassadors," the Mayor of Makassar, Moh Ramdhan Pomanto, said on Wednesday.
This is the second AMF to be held in Indonesia, with the first one having been held in Surabaya, East Java Province, in 2011.
Makassar will invite every mayor, district head and governor in Indonesia to attend the forum.
"This will provide a good momentum for introducing the potential of Makassar city to the mayors in ASEAN. In fact, not only mayors will be in attendance, but also foreign businessmen," he noted.
The agenda for the Second AMF will include a Makassar Investment Forum, a Makassar City Expo, and an ASEAN Community Week.
The Project Manager for AMF, Husain Muslimin, said the Makassar City Expo and the ASEAN Community Week will be held respectively at the Seraton Hotel and the Losari beach arena.
A number of Indonesia`s municipality administrations will take part in the Makassar City Expo to display their products.
The ASEAN Community Week is basically a carnival that showcases the culture and arts of ASEAN member countries.
This event will be co-hosted by the Makassar City Government and United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC).
The second ASEAN Mayors Forum will discuss key policy frameworks and instruments, facilitate knowledge sharing and mutual learning among mayors and a number of international organizations working in the field to foster sustainable development for achieving a stronger community in the ASEAN region. It is expected that local governments can learn from their peers and thereby mutual partnerships can be developed in the region.
ASEAN includes Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnamese, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.
Makassar City is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and lies adjacent to the Makassar Strait, spread over an area of 175,77 kilometers.
It is the biggest city in the eastern part of Indonesia, with a population of 1.7 million and is one of the Indonesian cities, where economic growth is outpacing Jakarta and the rest of the island of Java, the countrys political, economic and cultural heart.
The port city of Makassar has long been a bustling entry point, owing to the seafaring traditions of its Buginese inhabitants, who built historical trade networks throughout the 17,000-island archipelago that has become modern Indonesia.
