7 October 2022 – The General Meeting of the GPM has appointed Roshaan Wolusmal, former mayor of Kandahar and former Minister of State of Urban Development and Housing in Afghanistan, as Honorary Member of the GPM.
The Honorary Membership is awarded to mayors that have shown consistent and outstanding support to the GPM and distinguish themselves by meritorious service to the furtherance of the GPM through significant and ongoing participation in the Association’s activities and responsibilities.
As mayor of Kandahar Roshaan Wolusmal was member of the GPM. After he left his mayoral post, he has been spokesman of the GPM at several international events.
At his appointment, former mayor Wolusmal said, “It is my honor to be appointed as Honorary Member of the GPM. I am confident that my experience with local governance and urban development in the Middle East region, in particular in Afghanistan, will contribute to the valuable mandate of GPM. I had the pleasure of working with all the mayors of Afghanistan and played a key role in connecting them with the GPM. Being GPM Honorary Member , I can continue my efforts and take part in the further development of the GPM in the region of the Middle East.”
Since 2017, the GPM has awarded the honorary membership to the former Mayors van Aartsen (The Hague, the Netherlands), de Lille (Cape Town, South Africa), Johnson (Asbury Park, USA), Termont (Ghent, Belgium), Mugasa (Hoima, Uganda) and Orlando (Palermo, Italy).