Current News Items - August 2008
New platform to establish partnerships for sustainable energy solutions
Developing innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors – this is the goal of Global Energy Basel, the new partnering platform for sustainable energy solutions. Representatives from industry, government, administration and NGO’s meet from 12 to 14 November 2008 at the Congress Center Basel, Switzerland, to present exemplary solutions for secure and sustainable energy supply in the context of large infrastructure and urban development projects.
ICLEI has entered a partnership with Global Energy Basel in order to broach the issues of secure and efficient energy supplies as well as climate goals. Several city delegations of ICLEI members will participate at the conference. They will get the chance to connect with leading exponents of sustainable energy solutions and to find suitable project partners. Partners of Global Energy Basel include also the World Economic Forum, UN Global Compact and the Swiss government.
Focal points of Global Energy Basel are sustainability-oriented urban planning, energy-saving urban, rural and industrial infrastructure planning, as well as mobility and transportation issues, energy and water supply considerations, plus financial and political conditions. The broad array of sectors that Global Energy Basel will bring together is witnessed by the list of speakers and moderators taking part, among others star architect Jacques Herzog, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Rajendra Pachauri, media expert Vijay Vaitheeswaran from The Economist, and Amory B. Lovins from the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Further information about Global Energy Basel at www.globalenergybasel.com
UN-HABITAT and China Development Bank agree on strategic partnership
UN-HABITAT Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka met with China Development Bank President Mr. Chen Yuan in Beijing today and agreed to establish a strategic partnership between the two organizations to promote finance initiatives for global human settlements.
The two executives said both organizations shared a commitment to promoting low and middle income housing and urban development and agreed to set up a task force to work jointly on priority issues in housing and infrastructure. UN-HABITAT and China Development Bank also agreed to finalise a cooperation agreement which is expected to be signed during the World Urban Forum in Nanjing in November.
The partnership with China Development Bank is a big boost to UN-HABITAT’s mission to advance the Habitat Agenda and to achieve Millennium Development Goals. The bank is one of the largest development banks in the world, with US$400 billion in assets. It is also recognized as a most efficient bank, with a non-performing loan rate of less than 0.6 percent. The bank is particularly strong in housing and urban development finance.
Mrs. Tibaijuka invited Mr. Yuan, who presented her with a China Development Book, to attend the World Urban Forum in Nanjing.
2010 Winter Olympics Village in Vancouver Going Green
The 2010 Winter Olympics will be the third Olympics hosted by Canada, taking place in Vancouver where both the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC). There will be two Olympic Villages: one in Vancouver’s Southeast False Creek area (Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Village), and the other one within the scenic Cheakamus Valley (Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village).
The Vancouver Olympic Village in the Southeast False Creek area will be completed during the first phase. The village will have 16 buildings constructed on an area of 1.4 million square feet, and a community center. All the buildings will be built to LEED Gold standard and the community center will be built to LEED Platinum.
All of the buildings will be fitted with solar panels and feature green roofs. Rain water will be harvested and be used for the irrigation of the green roofs and landscaping. In-slab hydronic system will be used for heating and cooling of the buildings, and the latent heat of sewer pipes will be harnessed by an innovative heat exchange system. All parking will be underground, and plans are afoot to achieve water neutrality as it will collect as much rain water as it uses.
The two villages will be connected through latest and state-of-the-art communication technologies, and athletes will travel conveniently between the two. The Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Village will have the capacity to house 2,100 athletes and officials; and the Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village will accommodate 2,400 athletes and officials. After the games the villages will serve as valuable legacies, and will be developed as models of sustainable community and sustainable living.
London remains number one but the future belongs to Asia
London remains the world's best financial and commercial city, the future, however, appears to belong to Asia and Eastern Europe, whose cities represent the fastest rising regions in the latest commercial and financial research by MasterCard. Shanghai had the largest jump in overall rank - moving eight places from 2007 to 2008 - bringing it into the top 25 of this year's index and demonstrating the growing importance of Asian cities to a progressively urbanized global economy. Moscow, a gateway for the fast-growing Eastern European region, showed the greatest improvement in actual Index score and had the most significant gain on London year-over-year. Further confirming the importance of Asia and Europe in the global economy, this year's study also marks the displacement of Los Angeles from the top 10, making New York and Chicago the sole North American cities in the top grouping. The decline of Los Angeles in rank is due, in part, to factors around its role in the global financial services network, as well as the rise of European cities in the area of knowledge creation.
Climate Resistant Cities: 2008 Primer
This Primer is a tool for city governments in the East Asia Region to better understand how to plan for climate change impacts and impending natural disasters through sound urban planning to reduce vulnerabilities. It gives local governments information to actively engage in training, capacity building, and capital investment programs that are identified as priorities for building sustainable, resilient communities. The World Bank. (PDF, 176 pages)
"City for Children" Award: make your best projects known!
The first European prize rewarding projects developed for the well-being of children in cities has been launched. The City for Children Award is open to European cities with at least 100,000 inhabitants (application period: September 15 – December 15, 2008).
The main goals of the prize are to provide an incentive to compare, develop and evaluate best-practice examples, stimulate the exchange of experience, support the respective cities in their activities.
Submission of innovative child- and youth-friendly projects is possible in the following categories:
1. Outdoor activities for children and young people
2. Mobility and traffic safety for children and young people
The projects will be evaluated by an expert jury on the basis of the following criteria: degree of innovation, feasibility, sustainability, participation of children, young people, parents or senior citizens, transferability to other cities. If our cities are to be fit for the future, they must first be fit for our children - healthy, safe, inclusive... and lively, said Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Jeremy Smith. The Award is a common initiative from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the European Network Cities for Children and the City of Stuttgart.
More information on the "City for chidren Award" http://www.citiesforchildren.eu/
Tibaijuka visits China’s earthquake disaster region
The Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, visited two of the towns in China’s Sichuan Province hit hardest by a recent earthquake from 13-15 August. She expressed her deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims and pledged support for recovery and reconstruction work in the area. Wenchuan earthquake, which struck on May 12 measuring 8.0 on the Richter Scale, created a catastrophe, with 69,197 people confirmed dead, 374,176 injured, and 18,340 listed as missing. The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless and adversely affected another 10.5 million people in Sichuan and other provinces.
In Hanwang town, Mrs. Tibaijuka visited a turbine making factory, the main industrial operation that had to be relocated because workshops were destroyed. Most of the buildings in Hanwang town and Renhe village of Deyang City collapsed and the victims were moved into transit shelters. The Executive Director visited one of the temporary shelter communities and talked to people living there. She said she was happy that victims had been given adequate attention and commended the Chinese Government and people for taking quick action to relieve suffering, ensuring that almost all the displaced people were sheltered. “Natural disasters cannot be stopped. What is important is to minimize the impact and build back better,” she said. “We will share our experience of working in post disaster reconstruction in other countries such Indonesia and Pakistan.”
Local Governments Stand Up and Take Action for the Millennium Development Goals
UCLG launched the Millennium Towns and Cities Campaign in 2005 marking the commitment of local authorities to the achievement of the MDGs. Thousands of local governments have signed up to this campaign and implemented actions and activities to raise awareness on the MDGs and the fight against poverty. 2008 is a year at the crossroads; it marks the mid-point to 2015, the benchmark year for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In addition to the ongoing international lobbying for the official recognition of local governments as crucial stakeholders in the road to achieving the MDGs, a delegation of UCLG members will travel to New York in September to contribute to the High Level Event on the MDGs during the autumn session of the UN General Assembly. On 24 September, UCLG together with the UN Millennium Campaign and with the support of two national governments is organizing an event on the contribution of local governments to the achievement of the MDGs. Building on the Millennium Towns and Cities Campaign, UCLG encourages members to actively support and take part in the Stand Up and Take Action initiative on 17-19 October 2008.
TO REGISTER TO THE STAND UP AND TAKE ACTION INITIATIVE AND GET COUNTED PLEASE VISIT www.standagainstpoverty.org
United Kingdom Local Governments Small Change, Big Difference campaign
Climate change must be the most important long-term priority for councils. It is as important now as public health and sanitation were to our Victorian predecessors. Inaction is not an option. The public expects leadership. That is why the Local Government Association has launched a climate change campaign, Small Change, Big Difference, which will encourage the sector to do more, seek greater powers for councils and aim to influence public opinion and behaviour. There are a whole range of actions that all local authorities can take to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for the consequences of more extreme weather. The LGA wants to turn commitment into real action. We are calling on councils collectively to commit to: * all local area agreements containing at least one target relating to climate change; * all signing the Nottingham Declaration or its equivalent by the end of 2008; * reducing their carbon footprint by 1.5million tonnes; * reducing emissions by 32million tonnes; * having an understanding of how climate risks affect core service delivery, infrastructure, assets and the well-being of local communities by end 2011; UK emissions of greenhouse gases fell by only 0.5 per cent in 2005–06 and carbon emissions stayed virtually the same. The implication is quite stark. Without radical action, the UK will not meet its targets on emissions. There is an urgent need for the Government to give councils the freedom and resources to make the dramatic changes necessary. http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=269299
Participate in the "Local Governments' Day" and take a close look at the water challenges local and regional government have to deal with (9 September 2008 - Vienna).
The one-day event will explore how local and regional governments.can face current challenges and evolutions related to the organisation of water services. It will also aim at assessing the means they have to adapt and to provide good sustainable water management service to the citizens.
The event will bring together elected representatives from Europe and other continents, as well as speakers from international and European organisations, experts and representatives of the industry. Three sessions will be dedicated to the following issues:
Are local and regional governments' legal, financial, organisational instruments sufficient to ensure high quality water management to all citizens at an affordable price?
What is the impact of urbanisation, increasing economic growth and fast growing cities on the provision of water services?
Climate change and its challenges: how to adapt and prepare at local and regional level?
The Local Government's Day is co-organised by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), United Cities and Local Government (CGLU), the International Water Association (IWA) and the International Association of Waterworks in the Danube Catchment Area (IWAD), in the framework of the IWA World Water Congress.
The registration form should be returned by 25 August 2008 to CEMR
EU Development Days: three days of experience-sharing between local government North and South
Local authorities and development: this will be the central theme of the 3rd European Development Days (EDD) organised in Strasbourg, at the European Parliament, from 15 to 17 November 2008.
The three-day conference will be organised in several sessions on issues such as Local governance and Millennium Development Goals, Territories and sustainable economic development, or Local governance, participation and citizens empowerment.
In conjunction with the EDD, the European Commissioner for Development, Louis Michel, is inviting local and regional government throughout the EU to share their experience in decentralised cooperation with developing countries and to conclude new twinning covenants.
Proposals should be sent back to the European Commission by 20 September 2008. Projects already funded by the European Commission are excluded. An independent jury made up of representatives of the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) will examine the twinning projects submitted.
ICLEI World Congress 2009
Connecting Leaders - Advancing Local Action for Sustainability
14 - 18 June 2009, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Join mayors, councillors and senior officials of local governments in Edmonton to discuss future strategies of local sustainability.
The World Congress, a key gathering of ICLEI members, ICLEI's strategic partners, and experts, is a golden opportunity to learn about the achievements of the most advanced cities and towns, and to build upon past successes to advance local action for sustainability. The event will facilitate exchange and capacity-building among local governments and other stakeholders who play leading roles in the path towards sustainability. It will be a dynamic platform with keynote presentations, reports, debates, workshops, networking events, site visits and an exhibition.
The program will showcase the vast work of ICLEI members on advancing sustainability and it will be enriched by global strategists and leaders sharing their vision on the opportunities and challenges for local governments in the coming decades. The encounter of ICLEI members and supporters from all over the world will inspire lively discussions, promote sharing on local strategies for sustainability, and strengthen cooperation between cities and local governments worldwide.
We invite each municipality to reach out to neighbouring communities, sister cities, other partner municipalities, and associates, to encourage them to join us at the World Congress.
Edmonton is a booming city of over one million people nestled in the centre of the province of Alberta, Canada. Its river valley is North America's largest urban green space. It is a rich, multicultural society that values the diverse experience and traditions of all of its citizens. Edmonton hosts the second largest urban Aboriginal population in Canada, a dynamic, vibrant and energetic community.
Registration will open soon.
We look forward to seeing you in Edmonton!
World Congress 2009 Conference Team
world.congress@iclei.org
City Diplomacy: The role of local governments in conflict prevention, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction
This book is the outcome of a long process ofworking at one of the frontiers of governance studies and governance practice: the involvement of local governments in issues of peacebuilding. Published by VNG International on the occasion of the first World Conference on City Diplomacy, June 2008 in The Hague, the editors are: Arne Musch (principal editor), Chris van der Valk, Alexandra Sizoo and Kian Tajbakhsh. The publication's authors are Alexandra Sizoo, Arne Musch, Antonio Papisca, Martijn Klem, Georg Frerks, Dion van den Berg, Kenneth Bush, Andrés Paz Ramos, Marianne Moor and Chris van Hemert.
The Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City
On the occasion of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) world congress held October 2007 in Jeju (South Korea), the International Permanent Secretariat for Human Rights and Local Governments (SPIDH) was entrusted the task of leading the working group on the World Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City (a part of the Social Inclusion and Participative Democracy Commission of UCLG, chaired by Elói Pietá, Mayor of Guarulhos, Brazil). The main objective of the Global Charter-agenda of Human Rights in the city consists of achieving, in many cities as possible, the materialisation of a basic range of Human Rights applicable from the local sphere. This page describes the objectives and drafting process of the Global Charter-Agenda.
Working alongside UN-Habitat, Glocal Forum aims to build capacity and facilitate exchange among urban youth worldwide by establishing youth councils throughout its city network, and by enhancing those that already exist. Institutionalizing young people’s participation in local government is empowering as it gives them a venue to express their opinions and have a say in municipal policies. Through the councils, youth are given the opportunity to improve their communities and make a difference.
4th Congress of Latin-American Cities and Local Governments
The 4th Congress of Latin-American Cities and Local Governments “EXPERIENCIA AMERICA 2008” will take place 27-29 August in Mexico City. The Congress will focus on democracy, decentralization and development. EXPERIENCIA AMERICA 2008 is the annual event of the Latin-American Federation of Associations, Cities and Municipalities (FLACMA, the Latin American Section of UCLG), this year under the patronage of Mexico City.
The Congress will bring together Mayors and local and regional government representatives as well as academic and private sector participants from Latin America and the Caribbean in order to discuss the local government agenda to meet the big regional challenges. In 24 sessions and three mayor conferences, participants will have the opportunity to share experiences on local democratic governance, citizen participation, transparency, e-governance, risk prevention, urban poverty and development, economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and decentralization. UCLG Committees on Peripheral Cities and Social Inclusion and Participative Democracy will be also gathering during the Congress.
For registration and further information, please visit the official website of the congress http://www.experienciamerica2008.com/
30 US Cities to measure greenhouse gas emissions
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability are joining forces with some of the United States’ largest cities to help them voluntarily report their greenhouse gas emissions and other climate change-relevant data. This project marks a significant step in advancing public disclosure and reporting on climate change related issues. Cities will be able to use the project to learn from peers on climate change management and the project will shed light on the level of awareness and preparedness of the cities on this issue. It will also demonstrate to companies, investors and the general public how individual cities are dealing with the risks and opportunities climate change presents.
Under the new CDP Cities program, at least 30 urban centers, including New York, Las Vegas, Denver, West Palm Beach, St. Paul and New Orleans, will use ICLEI’s Local Government Operations Protocol and software tools to assess their greenhouse gas emissions profile and then will disclose this inventory data to the CDP online reporting. Twenty-one cities were announced today, with at least nine others expected to take part in the pilot project.
Each city will assemble comparable carbon emission data within their jurisdiction’s operations -- for instance, fire department, ambulance and police services, municipal buildings, waste transport and other services the cities provide or activities over which they exercise budgetary control. They will follow CDP systems to assess and disclose climate change-related risks and opportunities relating to the whole city. Cities will use the Local Government Operations Protocol – coauthored by ICLEI and the California Climate Action Registry, The Climate Registry, and the California Air Resources Board with input from expert stakeholders across the United States – which details the policy framework, calculation methodologies, and reporting guidance for quantifying GHG emissions from local government operations.
Chinese mayors learn about pollution control in Japanese cities
ICLEI Japan Office made presentation about Japanese local governments’ experience of pollution control and waste management to six Chinese mayors and deputy mayors in July 2008. They expressed a great interest in ICLEI and Japanese local governments’ efforts.
ICLEI Japan Office explained about the long expertise in pollution control in Japan. The experience of long term ICLEI Members such as Kawasaki City and Ube City were presented as a case in point. For example, Ube City has since 1949 challenged air pollution in partnership with business, experts and citizens. Kawasaki City has demonstrated national leadership with the most complete air pollution regulations in Japan and an innovative waste management program.
The meeting was part of a 'Japan-China friendship' project by the China Association for International Friendly Contact, financially supported by a private Japanese foundation. Since 1990, the project has promoted exchanges between Chinese and Japanese local government representatives as well as government ministries and businesses.
The theme in 2008 was “air pollution measures, emission regulations and recycling-oriented society in Japan.” Mayors and deputy mayors from six local governments visited Japan for a week.
Teaching sustainable urban development
A group of 28 urban professionals from 15 countries in Africa and Asia gathered at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok on Monday at the start of a special two-week course on how to use city planning as a tool for sustainable development.
The second edition of the ‘Sustainable Communities’ course marks a further milestone in academic collaboration with the Government of Finland, which in 2005 decided to allocate funding for a series of continuing education courses, to be coordinated by the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) in collaboration with UN-HABITAT and the United Nations Environment Programme. The first such course was held in Helsinki a year ago.
The course theme, Sustainable Communities, was chosen to offer to mid-career professionals from selected countries a broad overview of current thinking and practices regarding cities and sustainable urban development. Given that, rapid and uncontrolled urbanization is one of the biggest development problems in the world, the course provides practical examples and methods on how to use city planning as a tool for sustainable development. http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=5841&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
Executive Director meets China’s Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
China’s Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Mr. Jiang Weixin, on Monday received UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka to discuss a wide range of housing matters and arrangements for the fourth session of the World Urban Forum scheduled in the Chinese city of Nanjing 3-6 November.
Mrs. Tibaijuka will travel to Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, later this week to discuss technical assistance and rehabilitation following an earthquake in May that claimed tens of thousands of lives and destroyed countless of homes, praised the Chinese government’s reconstruction programme. She praised the government for its decision to station a Vice-Minister permanently in Sichuan Province to oversee the post-quake recovery programme, saying such a move gave confidence to the local people.
She said she appreciated the generosity of the Chinese government in hosting the Forum so soon after the earthquake said she hoped there would be a high level of Chinese participation at the Nanjing meeting which the Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development will chair.
She also said she also hoped for a speedy conclusion of the agreement on holding the Shanghai 2010 Better City, Better Life Expo at which UN-HABITAT will take on the lead role among UN agencies showcasing the best they have to offer at the Better Cities – Better Life Shanghai 2010 World Expo’s big One Earth - One UN pavilion.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=5840&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
Currency movements main factor in deciding ranking of most expensive cities in the world
Moscow is the world’s most expensive city for expatriates for the third consecutive year, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer. Tokyo is in second position climbing two places since 2007, whereas London drops one place to rank third. Oslo climbs six places to 4th place and is followed by Seoul in 5th. Asunción in Paraguay is the least expensive city in the ranking for the sixth year running. With New York as the base city scoring 100 points, Moscow scores 142.4 and is close to three times costlier than Asunción which has an index of 52.5. Contrary to the trend observed last year, the gap between the world’s most and least expensive cities now seems to be widening.
England’s elected mayors to be given control of police
England's elected mayors will be given control of policing towns and cities under sweeping reforms announced by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. The proposals will see elected mayors given direct control of policing while other areas will see directly elected police boards introduced as a means to both give communities more say over fighting crime and encourage more local councils to opt for having an elected mayor. The proposals follow an earlier white paper to make it easier for councils to adopt elected mayors, but local government leaders dismissed the government's plans as incoherent and dangerous. The From the Neighbourhood to the National green paper responds to public and police concerns over bureaucracy and the imposing of a targets culture in policing over the last decade. As well as the proposals for giving more power to elected mayors and creating new elected police boards, the proposals include allowing for greater public accountability by the police in the form of crime maps and regular local discussions. However, local government leaders, including three Labour elected mayors, dismissed the plans to roll out elected police boards as detrimental to local government and as having the potential to see extremists elected. The Association of Police Authorities warned of the dangers of introducing party politics into policing, while the Conservative Party claimed the government had stolen its ideas as it had long advocated the introduction of elected commissioners for each police force.
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