Mikiko Shiroma, Mayor of Naha City, is one of several women mayors shortlisted for this year’s World Mayor prize. Mayor Shiroma, who leads the Okinawan capital city government, was ranked alongside women leaders from 20 countries across the world in the shortlist announced 4 September by award organisers the City Mayors Foundation.
The award is given every two years by the foundation to city leaders acknowledged by public vote to have made outstanding contributions to their communities and having an urban vision which benefits cities and towns across the world. The London-based foundation make it clear they have no association with any cities or organisations and that the award is run on philanthropic lines.
The winner of the 2018 World Mayor Prize, which is devoted to women city leaders this year, and other results of the World Mayor Project will be announced in early 2019. Past recipients of the prize include Tirana’s Edi Rama (later Prime Minister of Albania), Cape Town’s Helen Zille (later Premier of Western Cape Province, South Africa), Athens’ Dora Bakoyannis (later Greek foreign minister) and Marcelo Ebrard of Mexico City (current Mexican foreign minister-designate).
