Yesterday evening, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, addressed the importance of “building better integrated, cohesive communities” all around the globe. His speech came less than a week after the presidential election in the United States, which has caused public controversy all around the world. “We need to understand why people feel the way they do” Sadiq Khan said, who was elected in May, making him the first ethnic minority mayor.

Representatives from all over the world attended the first ever Social Integration Conference at City Hall in London Bridge, to discuss and find solutions to rising problems of constantly changing communities. While he believes London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, Khan thinks the situation is “far from perfect.” He fears what increasing “polarised” politics may come to and enforced everyone to be proactive.

“It’s no good acting like this issue will simply sort itself out in time, or worse, pretending that it’s not a problem for fear of losing the argument to the divisive political forces gaining pace ” Khan said.

Immigration numbers are continuously rising with the migration net at 333,000 in the UK, according to the BBC in May. This was also an important factor in the EU referendum earlier this year. Addressing the Brexit, Khan especially emphasised the importance to keep “ears open to Londoners who voted to leave,” showing respect and understanding.

“We need a strong sense of social solidarity within our cities more than ever. A renewed sense that we’re united as neighbors and citizens” Khan said, opening the conference.