Jordan Times   June 15, 2009   By Khalid Neimat

AMMAN - Amman will host next week the second annual US-Arab Cities Forum, to discuss challenges and opportunities facing cities in the region.

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) will host the forum's activities June 22-24, the press centre at GAM said yesterday, noting that the event coincides with the municipality’s centennial celebrations.

Several mayors from Arab cities will take part in the three-day event, which will be held under Royal patronage, according to a statement issued yesterday by GAM.

Amman Mayor Omar Maani will deliver a speech at the opening session of the conference, highlighting the major areas of cooperation and exchange that can be facilitated through the conference.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will also take part in the event and will deliver a speech. The gathering, which is held in cooperation with the city of Chicago, aims at sharing information and implementing strategies to build local economies that are competitive in the global marketplace, according to GAM.

The first-ever forum was co-hosted by Daley and Chicago’s Sister City initiative in the Midwestern US city last year, and included the attendance of Maani and Mayor Mohamed Sajid of Casablanca, Morocco, among others.

This year’s forum will focus on several major issues including good governance in city management, youth programmes, urban planning, public transportation and the role of local governments in economic development and investment.

Meanwhile, GAM and the Ministry of Environment yesterday organised a discussion session to assess the social and environmental effect of the New Amman Slaughterhouse project.

GAM intends to float a tender calling on interested investors to submit offers for the design, construction and operation of the project over a 25-year period, Nisreen Al Araj, project manager said, noting that the initiative will be carried out on a build-operate-transfer basis.

Several local community representatives in addition to government agencies and concerned parties joined the discussion to provide a comprehensive plan in dealing with the social and environmental impact of the project on the nearby areas and districts. GAM plans to build the slaughterhouse in the Maddonnah area, east of the capital, Al Araj said.