City2City
Cities on the Frontline Speaker Series #18: Gender Inclusive Cities
09 July 2024 - Please join us for the 18th Session of Cities on the Frontline, jointly organized by Global Resilient Cities Network & the World Bank, which will focus on 'Gender Inclusive Cities: How can cities embed gender inclusivity in recovery planning and beyond?' 
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We will be joined by Daniela Guarieiro, Deputy Chief Resilience Officer of the City of Salvador, Brazil, Dr. Kealoha Fox, Aloha Care, Honolulu, and Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Vice-Chair, Maui County Council.

The event will be held on Thursday, 9 July 2024, at 8.30 PM EST| Friday, 10 July 2024, 08.30 AM Singapore/Kuala Lumpur Time. The event duration is 1 hour.

Please register here: https://bit.ly/genderinclusivecities. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing log-in info and a calendar detail that can be added to your system.

Missed a session? For access to the previous sessions' materials, visit our Speaker Series webpage for full access to the presentations & recordings: https://bit.ly/citiesonthefrontline

For questions about the Speaker's Series or additional registration requests, please send an email to our team at 

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HLPF 2024 Side-Event: Imagine a post-COVID-19 city—with women's human rights
08 July 2024 - This panel discussion will challenge us to imagine the post COVID-19 city that respects women’s human rights, builds resilience and prevents crises, and puts feminist and women’s movements’ aspirations into local action. Panelists will include representatives from the feminist and women’s movement, UN agencies and mayors. The event will open up to a Town Hall meeting using Zoom and will have simultaneous interpretation.
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08 July 2024 - This panel discussion will challenge us to imagine the post-COVID-19 city that respects women’s human rights, builds resilience and prevents crises, and puts feminist and women’s movements’ aspirations into local action. Panelists will include representatives from the feminist and women’s movement, UN agencies, and mayors. The event will open up to a Town Hall meeting using Zoom and will have simultaneous interpretation.

This side-event to the High-Level Political Forum 2024 is being organized by the International Alliance of Women, Feminist and Women's Movement Action Plan, NGO CSW/NY, Habitat (To Be Confirmed) and UN Women (To Be Confirmed).

Event Details:

  • Date: Thursday, 9 July 2024
  • Time: 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM EST
  • Registration Link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VMQq2MCtQjmmKcZxZ1e2aA
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HLPF 2024 Side-Event: How Geospatial Engineering Can Be Used In Peri-urban and Urban Environments
08 July 2024 - This High-Level Political Forum 2024 side event will include an approach to using geospatial information technologies as an example of how the lever of science and technology can be used in peri-urban and urban environments to advance sustainable development.
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08 July 2024 - "How the Lever of Science and Technology Can Be Used In Peri-urban and Urban Environments To Advance Sustainable Development: The Case Of Implementing Geospatial Engineering" is a High-Level Political Forum 2024 side event and will include an approach to using geospatial information technologies as an example of how the lever of science and technology can be used in peri-urban and urban environments to advance sustainable development.

To achieve the 17 SDGs and to leave no one behind, integrated geospatial technology and building information modeling (BIM) is found to be critical. Geospatial and BIM solutions, enabled by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), or Big Data, can give accurate and high-resolution data, techniques, and tools to provide a balanced assessment, and solutions.

Moderator:

  • Professor Gong Ke, President World Federation of Engineering Organisations

Keynote speakers:

  • Mr. Sanjay Kumar – CEO World Geospatial Industry Council, Launch of the Joint Publication by World Geospatial Industry Council, World Federation of Engineering Organisations and UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management: “GEOBIM Solutions for Resilient Infrastructure”
  • Mr. Gregory Scott, Secretariat, UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management “Geospatial Engineering: A Lever to Assist Developing Countries to Bridge the Geospatial Digital Divide”
  • Dr. Marlene Kanga, Immediate past president, WFEO, and project leader for WFEO on the publication to be released: “Implementation of Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable and Smart Cities”
  • Professor Guo Huadong, Director-General of the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI), Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS): “Big Earth Data for Urban and Peri-urban Development”

Discussants:

  • Professor Raida Al-Alawi, Director of Technology Development at BFG International, Chair of ICT committee of the Federation of Arab engineers, board member of the Bahrain Society of Engineers
  • Professor José Vieira, President elect of WFEO

Event Details:

  • Date: Thursday, 9 July 2024
  • Time: 8 AM - 9 AM EST
  • Registration Link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GHa0TT3jQO-pfGqKLD7HVQ

This event has been convened by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations.

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UCLG and UN Habitat: Voluntary Local Review (VLR) Series Launch (HLPF 2024)
07 July 2024 - This launch event session will be presenting the first volume of Guidelines for VLRs of the VLR Series jointly developed by UCLG and UN-Habitat and will showcase the importance that VLRs play not only in monitoring and evaluating progress towards the SDGs but also in contributing towards multilevel governance and the transformation necessary to achieve just, resilient, and sustainable cities, territories, and societies that guarantee protection to all citizens during and beyond times of crisis
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07 July 2024 - Local and regional governments, as the closest level of government to the people, are well aware of the unique characteristics, expectations, and needs of citizens and territories and can effectively support the development of policies which directly respond to the risks and vulnerabilities that society face on a daily basis. Furthermore, public service delivery is indispensable as a means to support citizens, especially during crises, and is the basis upon which structural inequalities will be mitigated and the achievement of the global goals will happen.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which has quickly and deeply affected our world, it is clear that our towns, cities, regions, and territories will never be the same in the aftermath and that no sole level of government can overcome this crisis alone. The efforts shared among local and regional governments, supported by their associations and networks, through decentralized cooperation will prove to be key to solve the interconnected challenges we face today caused by the most pressing global trends such as climate change and biodiversity loss, changing demographics and rising inequality, among others.

In this sense, local and regional governments, and their associations and networks, are working towards providing comprehensive systems-based strategies to the implementation of the universal agendas via the effective localization of the global goals and the development of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs). This with the aim to foster the transformative diplomacy necessary to achieve sustainable development, help take stock of progress made, and contribute towards transparency and accountability towards citizens. This global ‘localization’ movement of the universal agendas is a testimony of support towards territorial cohesion, multilevel governance, and leaving no one and no place behind.

United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), as the world organization of local and regional governments, and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) are committed to supporting the development of VLRs and will be launching a VLR Series which aims to provide guidance, definitions and technical support to any local and regional government aiming to engage in the VLR process. This VLR Series will act as an integral part of the work that will be undertaken by the UCLG Community of Practice on VLRs which reflects the advocacy movement of UCLG and the members of the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments with regard to increasing awareness of local and regional governments’ co-ownership of the 2030 Agenda and providing them with an institutional harbor to share knowledge, experiences and learn mutually.

This launch event session will be presenting the first volume of Guidelines for VLRs of the VLR Series jointly developed by UCLG and UN-Habitat and will showcase the importance that VLRs play not only in monitoring and evaluating progress towards the SDGs but also in contributing towards multilevel governance and the transformation necessary to achieve just, resilient, and sustainable cities, territories, and societies that guarantee protection to all citizens during and beyond times of crisis.

It will aim at bringing out the intrinsic value of VLRs as a political process that can enhance coordination between different spheres of government. The localization of the universal development agendas that are being driven by our communities offer the only viable way of ensuring that no-one and no place is left behind in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.

Speakers: 

  • Emilia Saiz, UCLG Secretary General
  • Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN-Habitat Executive Director
  • Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner of NYC for International Affairs
  • Santiago Saura, Councillor of Madrid for International Affairs
  • Nikita Rumyantsev, Head of Moscow Urban Forum Research Centre
  • Miquel Rodriguez, Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda of Barcelona
  • Yolanda Martínez, Secretary of Social Development of Oaxaca
  • Luiz Alvaro Salles, Secretary of International Affairs of Sao Paulo
  • Francisco Resnicoff, Under-Secretary for International Affairs of Buenos Aires
  • Marilia Sorrini Peres Ortiz, Deputy Secretary of Planning of Niteroi
  • Amson Sibanda, Chief, Division for Sustainable Development Goals of UN DESA

Session Details:

  • Date: Wednesday 8 July, 2024
  • Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST
  • The session will be in zoom. No advance registration is required.
  • Session Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81803089876?pwd=VGJVOUpGamsyUEE0aTNIS2dPb UJGUT09
  • ID: 818 0308 9876
  • Password: 766543
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HLPF 2024 Side-Event: Thinking Through Issues of Density, Overcrowding, Public Space and Health
07 July 2024 - This High-Level Political Forum 2024 side event which is led by UN-Habitat and co-organized with the World Health Organization, seeks to contribute to bolstering local action to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2030. 
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07 July 2024 - As part of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), the side-event on “Urban Form and COVID-19: Thinking Through Issues of Density, Overcrowding, Public Space, and Health”, will be held on July 9, 2024 from 12:00 - 13:15 (USA Eastern Standard Time). 

As Member States review strategies to bolster local action to "Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development" in an era of COVID19, there is no choice but to consider the relationship between urban form and health. While cities are severely hit by the pandemic, prior public health crises have brought about improved sanitation, and better housing, streets and public spaces in many cities. At the moment, the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is uncertain, with some envisaging a retraction from cities, and others expecting that cities will continue to adapt and thrive. Underlying such thinking are assumptions about density and disease. Research has started to show that this relationship is not direct, and to stress the importance of housing conditions, income, health care, public space, and sanitation.

The side event which is led by UN-Habitat and co-organized with the World Health Organization, seeks to contribute to bolstering local action to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2030. It will help develop a greater understanding among policymakers, practitioners, and research institutions about the relationship between urban form and disease prevention. The side event will provide an opportunity to consider available evidence and experiences from member states and to strengthen cooperation across health and urban development sectors in the era of COVID-19 and beyond.

More Event Details: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=20000&nr=7020&menu=2993

Join the Event Link Here (on July 9, 2024 from 12:00 - 1:15 PM EST)

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UN Women Webinar: Is this time different? COVID-19, inequalities and the prospects for structural transformation
02 July 2024 - Join UN Women for a webinar that will set the stage for a series of in-depth conversations and consultations to produce a Feminist Plan for Sustainability and Social Justice to influence policy debates on how to shape a more equal and sustainable post-COVID world.
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Speakers will include:

  • Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India
  • Ruth Nyambura, Founding member and the convener of the African Ecofeminists Collective
  • Corina Rodriguez, Centro Interdisciplinario para Estudio de Politicas Publicas and Executive Committee Member of Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)

Moderator:

  • Hakima Abbas, Co-Executive Director of the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID).

Event Date:

  • Thursday, 9 July 2024 

Event Time:

  • San José: 6.30 – 8.00 am
  • New York: 8.30 – 10.00 am
  • Buenos Aires: 9.30 – 11.00 am
  • Accra: 12.30-2.00 pm
  • London: 1.30 – 3.00 pm
  • Nairobi: 3.30 – 5.00 pm
  • Delhi: 6.00 – 7.30 pm
  • Sydney: 10.30 pm – 12:00 am

Registration deadline: 8 July, 12.00pm EDT. Zoom details for event will follow RSVP.

Registration Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1St0dORTyrrj5k8B0iUfYXq71L3qdPxso_Icrl8dO6DE/viewform?edit_requested=true

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Cities as bridges between SDGs and citizens in a post-COVID-19 world: elements for socio-economic recovery

The Venice City Solutions Series is a yearly event addressing issues that are central to the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local level, with specific focus to the

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role of local and regional governments as key drivers of the 2030 Agenda. In 2019, the event focused on how the SDGs can be an instrument to create citizenship and to promote the values of the Agenda as well as on strategies to bring the SDGs closer to the people.

Each year, the organizers of Venice City Solutions 2030 bring the recommendations of the event to the formal mechanism of the HLPF. This year, this official side event has adapted the narrative of SDG role in creating citizenship to the situation created by the COVID 19 pandemic. 

As the COVID-19 global health crisis has demonstrated, we live in an uncertain world; and recovering from the current crisis is going to require both strong individual action and a monumental collective effort. The contribution and collaboration of citizens in the recovery phase of the pandemic is going to be even more relevant than in our recent past. Local and regional governments are responding to the emergency by keeping essential services going, caring for the most vulnerable and finding rapid solutions to adapt to changing and unpredictable needs. Socio-economic recovery, with a global economy that has come to a sudden stop, is going to require local development and a lot of local action. Local and regional governments are going to play a substantial role in bringing the citizens along, on one end, and to support local businesses and local economic action, on the other. Within this new context, coordination between spheres of government and policy coherence between central and local governments will be more important than ever. Multi-level governance needs to be strengthened both vertically and horizontally.

The event will gather representatives of local and regional governments, their associations, Mayors, Governors and other governmental representatives and selected partners to discuss the way ahead for SDG implementation at local level.

This HLPF side event is co-organized by AICCRE, UCLG, UNDP, UN-Habitat and the UN SDG Action Campaign.

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Sustainable Stimuli II: Designing sustainable post-pandemic recovery programs in developing countries
01 July 2024 - This session, co-hosted by the Asia LEDS Partnership (ALP) and the LEDS Transport Working Group, focuses on the rationales and underlying mechanisms behind the design of sustainable stimulus packages. Panelists will delve into the sustainability potential of government response to the economic fallout of the pandemic.
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01 July 2024 - This session, co-hosted by the Asia LEDS Partnership (ALP) and the LEDS Transport Working Group, focuses on the rationales and underlying mechanisms behind the design of sustainable stimulus packages. Panelists will delve into the sustainability potential of government response to the economic fallout of the pandemic.

In this session, we will address a broad range of questions, including:

  • What are the possible mechanisms to make economic stimuli SDG-proof?
  • Based on what rationales and indicators are specific measures (and not others) selected as components of stimulus packages?
  • What is the potential of sustainable public investments in the economic recovery of developing countries?
  • What specific challenges do developing countries face in the transport sector?
  • How can sustainable transport & energy modes and technologies contribute to sustained growth in Asia?
  • Can India’s fiscal stimulus boost investments in sustainable energy & transport?
  • Can the European Green Deal or the German recovery package function as a model for developing countries?

The Speakers:

  • Moderator & Introduction: Alexander Ochs, Chair of the LEDS Energy Working Group & CEO, SD Strategies, Berlin
  • Rajat Kathuria, Director, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, New Delhi
  • Michael Schäfer, Senior Advisor, Agora Energiewende, Berlin
  • Maruxa Cardama, Secretary-General, Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLOCAT), London
  • Martin Kaspar, Policy Officer Climate Finance, European Commission, Brussels

Event Details:

This series is organized by Berlin think tank SD Strategies for the LEDS Energy Working Group. The session is co-hosted by the Asia LEDS Partnership and the LEDS Transport Working Group.

Download the attached PDF for more information on the event and speaker series.

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Cities on the Frontline Speaker Series #17 'Metropolitan Resilience’
29 June 2024 - This week’s topic will focus on ‘Metropolitan Resilience and how metropolitan areas have responded to the Covid19 crisis'. We will be joined by Mario Silva, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Planning Institute of Guadalajara, Xavier Tiana, Director of International Affairs at the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and Octavi de la Varga, Secretary-General of Metropolis.
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29 June 2024 - Please join us for the 17th Session of Cities on the Frontline, jointly organized by Global Resilient Cities Network & the World Bank.

This week’s topic will focus on ‘Metropolitan Resilience and how metropolitan areas have responded to the Covid-19 crisis'. We will be joined by Mario Silva, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Planning Institute of Guadalajara, Xavier Tiana, Director of International Affairs at the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and Octavi de la Varga, Secretary-General of Metropolis.

The session will take place on Thursday, 2 July 2024, at 9.30 AM EST / 1.30 PM GMT / 09.30 PM Singapore Time. Please register here: https://bit.ly/metropolitanresilience

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing log-in info and a calendar detail that can be added to your system.

Missed a session? For access to the previous sessions' materials, visit our Speaker Series webpage for full access to the presentations & recordings: https://bit.ly/citiesonthefrontline

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Volunteers as Essential Community Heroes: the Role of Volunteering in driving action on Covid-19 and the SDGs
27 June 2024 - Volunteer Groups Alliance: We will focus on the critical role that volunteers have played across the world delivering the SDGs and helping build stronger, more resilient, and inclusive communities for the final decade of action.
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Given the current context of Covid-19, we will include case studies demonstrating how volunteers have played a key role in responding to the pandemic. Governments and institutional partners will share evidence of how volunteers have supported the Covid-19 response, through mobilisation of community health workers, promoting responsible public health messaging, combating fake news, and supporting marginalised children’s access to education, as well as accountability of delivering the SDG agenda.

When: Jul 7, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Volunteer Groups Alliance Side Event to the UN High-Level Political Forum 2024

Register for the Event Here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=20000&nr=6942&menu=2993

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