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Wujin, China Joins UN-HABITAT’s Sustainable Urbanization Initiative

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:57:59 +0000

7 July 2010: The UN Human Settlements programme (UN-HABITAT) has reported that the city of Wujin, China, has become the first Chinese city to join “The 100 Cities Initiative for Sustainable Urbanisation.”

Wujin submitted three initiatives it has undertaken in its bid to join. “Help migrant workers, and plan a harmonious future” has provided affordable housing with a decent and dignified living environment for nearly 50,000 migrant workers in the past ten years. In addition, Wujin is taking part in the “The co-development of low-carbon construction and economy” initiative. Despite the fact that economic activity in Wujin has doubled in the last three years, carbon emissions were reduced by 57%. In 2009, carbon dioxide emission intensity was reduced from 5.14 kg in 2005 to 2.30 kg. [UN-HABITAT Press Release]

World Cities Summit 2010 Focuses on Sustainable Cities

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:30:20 +0000

1 July 2010: The World Cities Summit 2010, organized by the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), took place in Singapore from 29 June-1 July 2010, under the theme “Liveable and Sustainable Cities for the Future.”

The Summit focused on the challenges related to urban planning, infrastructure financing, public housing, waste management, urban biodiversity and climate change. Participants discussed how to mitigate risks and build inclusive and harmonious cities. Partners of the Summit included the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The Summit attracted 25 ministers, as well as 45 mayors and governors from 20 countries, including China and Australia.

At the opening ceremony, Anna Tibaijuka, UN-HABITAT Executive Director, acknowledged that 227 million people have moved out of slum conditions since 2000, but warned against the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, the financial crisis and climate change. She noted that vulnerable cities will need to prepare their infrastructure for the impacts of climate change, adding that one meter sea level rise will threaten major cities in Asia, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Shanghai, Osaka-Kobe and Tokyo. She argued for better financing capacity of municipalities to provide for adequate infrastructure in many developing countries and encouraging access to innovative urban infrastructure financing schemes.

On 30 June, the World Cities Summit (WCS) Mayors’ Forum was held. The Forum was attended by over 40 mayors and governors, and aimed to provide a strategic platform for mayors to discuss challenges faced by cities, share lessons learned, and deliberate possible joint solutions. The forum addressed leadership and governance in turbulent times, eco-friendly and liveable communities, and promoting communities of best practices among cities.

During the Summit, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize was awarded to the Bilbao City Hall, Spain, in recognition of its commitment towards a holistic approach to sustainable urban transformation. The main organizer of the Summit, the CLC, is expected to partner with the World Bank, UN-HABITAT and the ADB to develop the WCS Mayors’ Forum into a global network that promotes best practices and peer-to-peer learning among cities to support urban sustainability. [UN-HABITAT Press Release] [World Cities Summit Website]

Third Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development Adopts Solo Declaration

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:03:13 +0000

24 June 2010: The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the Government of Indonesia co-organized the third Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) in the city of Solo, Indonesia, from 22-24 June 2010.

The Conference gathered government representatives and experts from Asia and Pacific countries to focus on the theme “Empowering Communities for Sustainable Urbanization.” It concluded with the adoption of the Solo Declaration, which: announces the creation of a Permanent Secretariat for the APMCHUD in New Delhi, India; expresses concern about the impacts of the economic crisis and climate change on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); recognizes the role of local stakeholders, including women and children, in achieving sustainable urbanization and tackling climate change; and agrees on an implementation plan to address the challenges of housing and urbanization.

Participants adopted an implementation plan that proposes actions spanning the five areas addressed by Conference working groups, namely: community participation in planning and governance; participatory slum upgrading; delivery of MDGs on water and sanitation; financing sustainable housing and urban development; and the role of community in addressing climate change. On the latter issue, the governments committed to: organize a training programme and develop guidelines to mainstream climate change interventions at the local level; hold a policy seminar with existing regional networks and initiatives on climate change to share experience and knowledge; and identify an institution to serve as a focal point for the exchange of information and experiences on climate change best practices and lessons learned in the region.

The APMCHUD is a consultative inter-governmental mechanism for the promotion of sustainable housing and urban development in the Asia-Pacific region. The fourth Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development is expected to be held in Jordan in 2012.[UN-HABITAT Press Release] [APMCHUD Website] [Solo Declaration]

First World Congress on Cities and Adaptation Adopts Bonn Declaration

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:30:21 +0000

30 May 2010: The first World Congress on Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change, which addressed the theme “Resilient Cities 2010,” convened from 28-30 May 2010, in Bonn, Germany. The Congress was organized by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainable Development, the World Mayors Council on Climate Change and the City of Bonn, and it sought to support the implementation of the UNFCCC Nairobi Work Programme on Adaptation by providing a forum for exchange, learning, networking, debating and policy making on approaches and solutions for climate change adaptation and resilience-building in cities and municipalities, including local adaptation practices.
During the Congress, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) co-organized a session on “Ensuring food security through adaptation.” Approximately 40 participants discussed adaptation approaches for achieving food security, including: diversifying and adapting local and traditional food; securing watershed management; and adapting supply-demand linkages for adequate food supply and processing. Luc Gnacadja, UNCCD Executive Secretary, stressed the importance of agricultural productivity in the drylands, where one third of the world population lives.
During the final plenary panel, Margareta Wahlström, UN Assistant Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, highlighted that the UN does not have an adequate framework for interacting with local governments and noted the need for increasing the space for local governments in the national arena and in global agenda-setting. Underscoring that the poor suffer the most from the impacts of climate change, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer called for support from national governments to help cities address these impacts they have to deal with directly.
The Congress concluded with the Mayors Adaptation Forum signing the Bonn Declaration of Mayors, a roadmap for the World Mayors Council on Climate Change’s trajectory toward the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UNFCCC in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of 2010, and beyond. In the Declaration, mayors recognize the failure of the UNFCCC COP 15 to deliver a strong and comprehensive post-2012 climate agreement and declare ten action points, including to: prioritize local level adaptation strategies that support local sustainable development; protect the urban poor from the effects of climate change; press for greater local government involvement in international climate negotiations; dedicate more funds to cities’ climate adaptation and technical resources; empower local leadership to ensure climate action; and build partnerships with multilateral institutions, national governments, the private sector and civil society.
Also during the Congress, the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) unveiled its “Making Cities Resilient Campaign,” a two-year scheme that seeks to bring more than 1000 local government leaders around the world to sign up for and meet ten recommendations to make their cities more resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as: investing in urban planning; developing infrastructure and building safety; reinforcing drainage systems to reduce flooding; and installing early warning systems. UN/ISDR is coordinating the initiative, in collaboration with the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). [UN/ISDR Making Cities Resilient Campaign] [Congress Website] [Nairobi Work Programme on Adaptation] [UNCCD Press Release] [Food Security Session Website]

UN-HABITAT Conference Adopts Declaration on Green Building for Africa

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:56:14 +0000

14 May 2010: The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) held a conference on Promoting Green Building Rating in Africa from 4-6 May 2010, at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The event brought together experts, practitioners and decision makers from 20 African countries and concluded with the adoption of a declaration to promote and foster green building practices in Africa.

In the “Nairobi Declaration on Green Building for Africa,” participants underline the urgency to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency in buildings in order to “reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help strengthen the ability of cities to adapt to climate change while improving the quality of the built environment.” They express their commitment to “being the promoters of green practices” to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction sector in Africa. Participants further emphasize the importance of, inter alia: sourcing building materials and appropriate technology that are locally available; taking into account climatic conditions when designing buildings and making use of naturally available energies; using renewable energy; and developing and using a green building rating system.
In relation to the latter, participants recommend the development of models of Green Building Councils and the associated green rating systems catering for the various needs and specificities of individual countries and/or sub-regions. The Declaration also calls for the establishment of an African Network of Green Building Councils. [UN-HABITAT Press Release] [Conference Green Building] [Declaration on Green Building]

UN-HABITAT Releases 2009 Annual Report

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:13:52 +0000

April 2010: The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) has released its annual report. The report on its 2009 activities underlines that the combination of climate change and demographic expansion poses an unprecedented challenge to cities.
The report also highlights the launch of the Cities and Climate Change Initiative, which includes institutionalized support to local governments, city networks and associations, among others, to address climate change and its implications at all levels. The Initiative aims to integrate climate change mitigation into the urban agenda as it relates to land and housing, urban governance, environmental management, infrastructure and basic services, housing finance and disaster-related schemes. [The Report]

CBD Secretariat Publishes March Bulletin of Activities

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:15:56 +0000

9 April 2010: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has circulated its Monthly Bulletin of Activities for March 2010, including a report on its activities during the World Urban Forum, which met from 22-26 March 2010, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

According to the report, the CBD Secretariat took part in dialogues on “Sustainable urbanization: Cities in a Changing Climate” and sessions on resilience, adaptation and mitigation, as well as several of the events related to climate change and urban environment. [The Bulletin]

WORLD URBAN FORUM 5 DEVELOPS RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE INCLUSIVE CITIES

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:08:00 +0000

The fifth World Urban Forum (WUF-5), which took place from 22-26 March 2010, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the theme “The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban Divide,” was hosted by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the Government of Brazil. The event gathered a record of over 13,700 participants from 150 countries to discuss issues related to the sustainability of cities in the context of rapid urbanization, and a changing climate and environment. During the forum, UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka unveiled the World Urban Campaign, which will provide a platform for action for local communities, neighborhoods and leaders to promote democracy and human rights, and enhance global health, food security and energy efficiency.
On 23 March, congress members of several countries participated in a debate on “Parliamentarians of the world about climate changes and human settlements,” coordinated by Peter Goetz, President of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat. On 25 March, participants engaged in a dialogue on “Sustainable Urbanization: Cities in a Changing Climate,” during which they addressed broad concepts and ideas, and then held thematic open debates on: “Sustainable urbanization: cities in a changing climate,” which presented policies and practices that cities, governments and communities around the world are embracing to address the challenges of climate change; “Reducing vulnerabilities to climate change,” which stressed the need to address climate change impacts within a framework that acknowledges the presence of the urban divide and embraces social inclusiveness; and “Promoting inclusive and environmentally sustainable cities,” which addressed how cities can reduce their carbon footprint and effectively engage the informal sector in low carbon economic growth, while fostering inclusive economic development.
UN-HABITAT, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank jointly launched a Global Greenhouse Gas Standard for cities, which will provide a global and harmonized protocol for quantifying the amount of greenhouse gases emissions attributable to cities and local regions. It is expected that this common methodology for calculating GHG emissions on a per capita basis will support policy and access to finance, allowing cities to compare their performances.
During the closing ceremony, Tibaijuka called on governments and leaders at all levels to “provide the requisite resources and to make investments that will provide sustainable cities in a changing climate.” Participants also considered the recommendations from the World Urban Forum, which will be presented to the UN-HABITAT Ministerial Governing Council, a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly, scheduled to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2011. The Rio Declaration endorsed by participants outlines recommendations related to the need to promote civil society participation and governance to build inclusive policies and cities. The sixth World Urban Forum will be hosted by the Government of Bahrain in 2012.
Links to further information
World Urban Forum-5
UN-HABITAT Executive Director’s speech

Fifth World Urban Forum Concludes

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:43:10 +0000

26 March 2010: World Urban Forum 5, which took place from 22-26 March in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the theme “The Right to the City: Bridging the Urban Divide,” was hosted by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the Government of Brazil. The event gathered a record of over 13,700 participants from 150 countries to discuss issues related to the sustainability of cities in the context of rapid urbanization, and a changing climate and environment.
During the forum, UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka unveiled the World Urban Campaign, which will provide a platform for action for local communities, neighborhoods and leaders to promote democracy and human rights, and enhance global health, food security and energy efficiency.
On 23 March, congress members of several countries participated in a debate on “Parliamentarians of the world about climate changes and human settlements,” coordinated by Peter Goetz, President of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat. On 25 March, participants engaged in a dialogue on “Sustainable Urbanization: Cities in a Changing Climate,” during which they addressed broad concepts and ideas, and then held thematic open debates on: “Sustainable urbanization: cities in a changing climate,” which presented policies and practices that cities, governments and communities around the world are embracing to address the challenges of climate change; “Reducing vulnerabilities to climate change,” which stressed the need to address climate change impacts within a framework that acknowledges the presence of the urban divide and embraces social inclusiveness; and “Promoting inclusive and environmentally sustainable cities,” which addressed how cities can reduce their carbon footprint and effectively engage the informal sector in low carbon economic growth, while fostering inclusive economic development.
During the closing ceremony, Tibaijuka called on governments and leaders at all levels to “provide the requisite resources and to make investments that will provide sustainable cities in a changing climate.” Participants also considered the recommendations from the World Urban Forum, which will be presented to the UN-HABITAT Ministerial Governing Council, a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly, scheduled to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2011. The Rio Declaration endorsed by participants outlines recommendations related to the need to promote civil society participation and governance to build inclusive policies and cities. The sixth World Urban Forum will be hosted by the Government of Bahrain in 2012. [WUF 5 Website] [UN-HABITAT Executive Director’s Speech] [Press Release on the Debate]

Global GHG Standard for Cities Launched

Climate-L.org - IISDRS — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:35:59 +0000

23 March 2010: During the fifth session of the World Urban Forum, being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 22-26 March 2010, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), and the World Bank jointly launched a Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Standard for cities.
The GHG Standard will provide a global and harmonized protocol for quantifying the amount of GHG emissions attributable to cities and local regions. It is expected that this common methodology for calculating GHG emissions on a per capita basis will support policy and access to finance, allowing cities to compare their performance. Given that emissions across cities depend on the primary energy source, climate, transportation mode and urban settlements, the GHG Standard allows cities to compare their emissions over time, across cities and across sectors such as energy, transportation or waste.
Zoubida Allaoua, World Bank Director for Finance, Economics, and Urban Development, noted that a common GHG Standard is critical to promote better understanding, inform citizens and target policies. Anna Tibaijuka, UN-HABITAT Executive Director, stressed that cities are a key part of the solution to support contained urban development, and promote sustainable ways of living such as efficient rapid public transit buses. [UNEP Press Release] [World Bank Press Release] [World Urban Forum Website]