What is the Northeast Asian Mayors’ Forum (NEAMF)?

The Northeast Asian Mayors’ Forum was first initiated by the Ulaanbaatar City Government  in 2014 and successfully organized with the support of the Asia Foundation. It has been operating continuously since then. There were three forums and one thematic meeting held in the past which gathered delegates from over 40 cities in six Northeast Asian countries – the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea,and the Russian Federation  –  to discuss solutions and share  experiences on the pressing issues among the cities.

In recent years, Asian cities have experienced the highest urbanization rates in the world, and by 2030, nearly 57 percent of Asia’s population is expected to live in urban areas. Therefore, along with the rapid growth of urbanization, there is dire  need for  proper management on  many issues including urban planning, air and soil pollution, waste management, efficiency use of energy, and good governance.

The main purpose of the Forum is not only to exchange ideas, innovative experiences and solutions to the above issues the cities  in the region are facing but also to strengthen regional cooperation development.

 NEAMF Mission

• To serve as a permanent and multifaceted mechanism for the development of cooperation between the cities of the Northeast Asian region
• To promote the best practices, new and advanced technologies from the participant cities in solving the common urban issues
• To implement joint projects and initiatives aimed at expanding regional cooperation in economic, social, environmental, energy, infrastructure and urban planning fields

NEAMF’s Immediate Objectives

•  To lay down the legal basis for institutionalization of the NEAMF as a permanent mechanism through developing and adopting of such founding documents as Charter and Rules of Procedure to establish its organizational structure, membership rules, and financing regulations
• To develop and adopt respective operational documents such as Internal Rules and Staff Regulations for the Secretariat which is to provide professional support to the NEAMF
• To develop cooperation with other organizations in Asia and globally as a permanent mechanism to promote interaction and cooperation among the cities in Northeast Asia