Clara Doe Mvogo, the mayor of Monrovia, Liberia, has earned a reputation as a leader who gets things done. She was inducted as mayor of the capital in March 2014, just as the first cases of Ebola in the country were confirmed. Across the sprawling city of 1.5 million people, the mayor was wearing her “Operation Stop Ebola” shirt, meeting with local leaders, and bringing her no nonsense approach to the response.
At the Clinton Global Initiative last month, Mvogo spoke about the Ebola response on a panel about how cities can be designed for health and prosperity. Following the session, she spoke with Devex about her hopes for the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, or Habitat III, which will gather leaders in Quito, Ecuador, next week to discuss “the new urban agenda.”
“The new urban agenda needs to be able to afford proper housing for the majority of the citizens in the African setting that live in slums,” she said. She went on to speak with Devex about the overlooked but critical role of mayors in developing countries. Watch the video to hear more from Mvogo and stay tuned to Devex for coverage from Habitat III.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.