City2City
Reimagining governance for a just energy transition

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. It’s having devastating impacts on the environment, society, and the global economy. The urgent need to transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon energy future is at the heart of the challenge. However this requires technological innovation, investment and robust energy governance frameworks that can effectively steer the transition toward clean energy sources while ensuring energy security and affordability for all.  

…

Reimagining governance for a just energy transition

Originally published on 4 May 2024 by UNDP | Author: Piyush Verma, Senior Governance Expert-Energy, UNDP

Wide shot solar panels outside health centre

Solar panels power a health clinic in rural Zimbabwe. Photo: UNDP Zimbabwe

“The climate bomb is ticking.” - UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the launch of the recent Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  

Urgency is paramount. Rising global temperatures, sea level rise, extreme weather, and other consequences of climate change are already causing significant damage to our environment, economy, and public health. According to a 20-year study from Monash University, nearly five million deaths occur each year due to extreme weather.  

There is abundant evidence to support the role of renewable energy in addressing the climate crisis and its potential to bring various social, economic, health, and national security benefits. However, continuing business as usual and implementing siloed initiatives will lead us nowhere. The challenges we face are systemic, and acute. We must take a holistic and integrated approach. This requires a concerted effort from governments, businesses, communities, and individuals.

Electrifying every sector, improving energy efficiency, introducing energy system flexibility, and changing people's behaviours are vital. Other policy areas are also at stake, including health, education, poverty and inequality, building, agriculture, transport, long-term economic development, and many more. 

Three critical governance approaches are needed to accelerate the shift to renewable energy: 

First, it is essential to integrate systemic thinking in all energy planning and to pay attention to complex and intersecting challenges. For example, a strong health-energy nexus is exemplified by UNDP’s work to improve access to clean cooking, a game changer for billions of women and children exposed to harmful gas. UNDP is equipping rural health centres with solar PV systems in 15 countries to enable quality healthcare for the world's poorest. Another example from UNDP is the integrated urban-energy planning approach to promote low-carbon transport, such as bicycles or e-buses, to make cities more sustainable. 

Bringing such systematic thinking to planning will only happen when collaborative efforts are unlocked, and institutions, relationships, and processes are mobilized to make the system work effectively and equitably at every level of governance.

Second, governments should provide facilitative coordination by framing the urgency and calling for collective action. Government leadership must also demonstrate strong collaboration between institutions. 

Under its NDC support programme, UNDP assisted the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office (Dirección de Presupuestos, or DIPRES) in Chile to use data to inform decision-making related to public spending on climate change-related programmes. UNDP also coordinated the identification of adaptation and mitigation initiatives across different ministries, including public works, agriculture, and energy.  

Government is not the only centre of power. We live in a system with many sources of influence, and governance must take a multi-stakeholder approach and ensure all policy decisions reflect broader positions. Policies and regulations must create an enabling environment where research, innovations, experimentation, and implementation can happen rapidly. 

Lastly, society-wide action is needed to engage all stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, individuals, families, communities, academia, media, and other voluntary associations, to understand the urgency of the shared responsibility. 

Communities need to be empowered to understand, deliberate, decide, and participate in the production, distribution, storage, and use of energy, adopt low-carbon products, and change their behaviour. Many citizens worldwide are already cognizant of the challenge and need direction. UNDP found this true in Kyrgyzstan, where an appeal to exchange incandescent bulbs for domestically-produced LED lamps drew 250 responses in a single day. The campaign, organized as part of the “Together Brighter-Kyrgyzstan!” campaign, mobilized a broad spectrum of people and organizations to promote energy efficiency and conservation.

In this society-wide mobilization process, the voices of the vulnerable and marginalized need to be promoted and respected. In Nepal, UNDP’s Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL) project encourages women’s participation in decision-making. One notable result is that the executive committees of solar mini-grids and mini-hydro projects have 35 percent women representatives. Creating collaborative leadership and deliberation spaces will be critical for creating an effective governance system that can respond to complex and urgent energy challenges in an inclusive manner. 

In light of the urgent need to address the challenges posed by climate change, we must focus our attention on effective energy governance. As we have seen, the current state of affairs is simply unsustainable, and it is our collective responsibility to take action. Strong government leadership is essential, as is coherent policymaking. Equally important is accountability for our actions and a commitment to protecting both our people and our planet. By working together to develop and implement effective energy governance strategies, we can ensure a brighter and more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

As the UN Secretary-General has said, “We don’t have a moment to lose.” 

Retrieved from undp.org/blog/reimagining-governance-just-energy-transition

Expand
Four ways digital can power a just energy transition
Today’s climate, energy, and development challenges are interconnected and require systemic innovative solutions. The world must urgently decarbonize energy systems and shift to sustainable consumption. As countries are putting forward long-term low-emission development strategies and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are the shorter-term climate pledges to limit and prepare for global warming, these strategies offer a unique opportunity to make the fight against climate change also a journey of multi-sectoral digital transformation.
…

Four ways digital can power a just energy transition

Originally published by UNDP on 17 May 2024 

Authors:

  • Jana Koperniech, Global Technical Specialist, Energy, UNDP
  • Reina Otsuka, Lead, Digital Innovation for Nature, Climate and Energy
Solar panel and building

Photo: UNDP Zimbabwe

It’s estimated that digital technology can significantly boost the energy transition by decreasing greenhouse emissions by 15 percent. But the power of digital technologies goes beyond reducing emissions. Combining them with sustainable energy is a powerful lever to support climate action and community resilience. Taking a whole-of-society digital transformation approach to green energy systems, or by using renewable energy powered, inclusive digital solutions, we see opportunities to also inherently contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience of other sectors. From smart power grids and energy monitoring systems to climate-resilient farming and better public transport, here are four ways digital technologies are helping to transform energy systems across the world.

1. Smart energy management 

It’s estimated that improved energy efficiency can provide 40 percent of the reductions needed to keep the 1.5C goal within reach. Digital technologies provide powerful tools to enable energy efficiency, and can in particular be a game-changer to make existing power grids more efficient. 

In Mauritius with UNDP’s support, the government is developing a smart grid. This includes setting up a digitally-enabled advanced distribution management system that can automatically address power outages when they happen, and optimize the performance of the grid. This enables utility companies to better meet customers needs. It makes the power supply more reliable while improving the quality of the electricity distributed, supporting the use of renewable energy, enhancing data security and strengthening the resilience of the grid to disasters.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, digital technologies are helping to make building power consumption more efficient. Buildings are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s estimated that buildings and the construction sector account for up to 40 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. A UNDP project has helped the government put in place a energy management information system to collect, monitor, and analyze information related to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in 75 percent of the country’s buildings. This database has been key to help decision-makers prioritize investments to support energy savings. Such real time information can also be used for integrated planning, and potentially at times of disaster, or for future risk mitigation. 

2. Decentralized energy systems 

Energy is central to socio-economic development. It supports livelihoods, agriculture, and businesses. It also powers essential services such as schools and hospitals. Yet 733 million people, close to one in 10, don't have electricity. Many of them live in remote areas where extending the national power grid is seen as too complex or costly. 

Decentralized energy systems are a great solution to bring electricity to these communities. However, their energy needs are often relatively low, and they require an adaptive system that is reliable and keeps energy affordable.

Digital solutions can enable such adaptive, flexible energy solutions for communities living off the national grid. Installing smart metres helps to remotely check the reliability of the energy supply in the case of extreme weather. It also makes it possible to monitor energy consumption in real time and to set up a pay-as-you-go system, where the user is only going to pay for the electricity that has been used. UNDP’s Africa Minigrids Program is working with 21 sub Saharan countries to disrupt energy markets, including by introducing digital solutions, to scale-up solar minigrids.  

3. Climate-resilient farming 

Combining digital technologies with renewable energy is also providing promising pathways to enable climate-resilient agriculture, which can in turn bring a stable demand to renewable energy businesses. Climate change is already hurting farmers wordwide – from extreme and unpredictable droughts to reduced crop yield or nutritional quality and decreasing livestock productivity. 

Innovative digital solutions can help farmers address these complex challenges. In Serbia, UNDP has supported small and medium-sized family farms set up an solar-powered, automated monitoring and irrigation system – a first in the country. A computer collects microclimate and soil fertility information through sensors in the soil and a digital weather station. This system then automatically irrigates the field, adds fertilizer and transfers the information through a mobile application to the farmers. Famers report that their yields have increased by as much as 30 percent.

4. The example of public transport 

An easy-to-use and reliable public transport system is key to reducing transport-related emissions, as well as traffic and air pollution. But in many cities the poor quality of public transport leaves the network under-utilized. Digital technologies and data management provide valuable tools to improve the network as a whole. Electronic ticketing, integrated multi-mode transport electronic system, smart traffic information system, and integration and monitoring of passenger safety technology solutions are all solutions that can make public transport more attractive.

When applied to low-carbon buses, these digital solutions help make sustainable transport solutions the best available option for public transport users. This is the approach that the city of Podgorica in Montenegro is, with UNDP’s support, taking as the city transitions to an integrated, digitally-enabled, sustainable public transport system. 

Digital innovations for just transition and climate resilience require healthy public and private partnerships that empower local digital ecosystems. Reach out to the authors to discuss partnership opportunities.  

Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/blog/four-ways-digital-can-power-just-energy-transition

Expand
5 Ways India Can Use Innovation to Meet Its Urbanization Challenges
India is projected to overtake China as the most populous country in the world this year. The shifting demographics are bound to create heightened demand for education, health care, jobs and civic amenities, putting existing systems under stress. Current urban services delivery models, in transport, water and waste management, are plagued by outdated, legacy systems, lack of data, and restrictive policies and regulations. Focusing on technology-led innovation has the potential to address the rising demand for public services in India.
…

5 Ways India Can Use Innovation to Meet Its Urbanization Challenges

By Madhav Pai and Jaya Dhindaw | Originally published by World Resources Institute on May 2, 2024   

By harnessing technology and nurturing innovation, Indian cities can address systemic challenges in service management and delivery. Photo: Megha Bhatt/Unsplash

But there are ways for innovation to improve services. Globally, one out of every 10 “unicorns” is born in India. As of September 2022, India is home to 107 so-called unicorn startups with a total valuation of $341 billion. Most startups that reach a $1 billion valuation are from the e-commerce, fintech and logistic sectors. While the sustainability and civic-tech space has seen an increase in the number of startups, more needs to be done to harness technology and address systemic challenges in urban service delivery and management.

Here are five ways cities can pave the way for innovation to improve services:

1. Create Space for Experimentation

Entrepreneurs need incubation facilities, labs and platforms to develop their proof of concepts. Low-risk pilots allow local governments to test and learn about a product or service while helping entrepreneurs understand ground realities better.

The Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators – India (ASHA-India), part of the Global Housing Technology Challenge – India (GHTC-India), is one such example that supports climate-resilient, resource-efficient solutions to accelerate the government’s Housing for All program. Another example is TheCityFix Labs, a multi-stakeholder platform that seeks to accelerate the delivery of improved urban services by bridging gaps in the innovation ecosystem in terms of access to funding, finance, markets and the government.

Representatives from Hasirudala, WeGoT Utility Solutions and Solar Labs, the three finalists from the TheCityFix Labs 2019: Accelerating Innovation in Water, Waste & Energy. Photo: WRI India

2. Extend Support Beyong Incubation

Government initiatives and schemes typically support startups in the crucial inception stages — by providing facilities, infrastructure and incubation. However, there is little support for commercialization and sustenance of ideas. Robust linkages between institutions, academia, and industry, and addressing issues of liquidity and employment to help entrepreneurs play the long game, is much needed.

Creating a model that encourages collaborative thinking and brings together different stakeholders onto one platform early in the problem-solving stage is another avenue worth exploring. For instance, the recently launched India Forum for Nature-Based Solutions is India’s first urban nature-based solutions consortium that brings together multiple stakeholders to leverage their collective strength towards accelerating action for building climate-resilient cities.

Dignitaries at the launch of the India Forum for Nature-Based Solutions by the National Institute of Urban Affairs and WRI India, at the World Urban Forum (2022) in Katowice, Poland. Photo: WRI India

3. Enable Robust Business Models

Sustainability project financing in India, offered only by a few banks and non-banking financial institutions, is still in its infancy. Non-traditional sources of finance such as crowdfunding often impose prohibitively rigid and excessive terms and conditions to offset perceived risks. There is a need for hybrid financial instruments and patient capital that can de-risk investments and help attract funding from mainstream commercial investors.

Budget 2022 had proposed three ways in which this can be tackled. First, by introducing sovereign green bonds and access to blended finance. Second, by creating a live database to help with credit facilitation, skilling and livelihoods. And third, using surety bonds instead of bank guarantees for public procurement contracts which could help reduce the burden on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups.

4. Establish an Anchor Institute

City and state governments need to both sharpen their problem statements and break them down into solvable units. At present, different government agencies at the national, state and local levels work in organizational silos. Fragmented efforts by multiple authorities lead to poor implementation. A multi-stakeholder intermediary platform can help break silos and bring together multiple stakeholders, who can pool individual resources and skills toward solving a common problem. Setting up anchor institutions can provide leadership, coordination and a unified approach to de-risking solutions to shape more productive outcomes.

5. Level the Playing Field

Finally, an ecosystem that allows enterprises to scale up to successfully participate in government contracts must be built. Smaller enterprises find it difficult to meet the stringent qualification criteria of municipal requests for proposals, while complex procurement processes and long payment cycles discourage entrepreneurs from participating at all. This process must be reformed by testing alternatives that actively encourage wider participation. This would include standardizing definitions of terms such as “innovative” or “green,” using a quality- or outcomes-based approach for request for proposals, firming up policies on procurement from MSMEs and ensuring timely payments for services.

Hasirudala, a Bengaluru-based social impact organization has had tremendous success integrating waste workers with a formal waste management system, converting waste picking into a well-organized urban service. Photo: Hasirudala

Each dollar invested in urban infrastructure for water, sanitation and hygiene generates between $4 to $34 in benefits by saving time, improving health and raising productivity. Technology-led innovation in urban services delivery for such crucial needs must be incentivized and institutionalized, both to ensure their viability and offer a better quality of life to everyone in cities.

This article originally appeared on WRI-India.org

Madhav Pai is CEO of WRI India.

Jaya Dhindaw is Program Director – Integrated Urban Development, Planning and Resilience at WRI India.

Expand
Trees for Cities: Implementing Nature-Based Solutions in India
The Urban Forest scheme, launched in 2024 to create Nagar Vans (Urban Forests), supports the extension of the green cover in cities. Instances of collective action to this end also exist in cities such as Chennai, Gurugram, Delhi and Kochi. But extensive conservation, promotion and addition of green cover continues to require concentrated and consistent efforts. 
…

Trees for Cities: Implementing Nature-Based Solutions in India

By Priya Narayanan, Linda Regi and Achu R. Sekhar | Originally published by World Resources Institute on May 1, 2024   

Cubbon Park, Bangalore. Photo: Pasqualino Capobianco/Unsplash

Whether one seeks an escape from Delhi’s scorching summer heat or a winter afternoon basking in the sun, Sanjay Van National Park, one of the city’s few surviving urban forests, comes to mind. Mangalavanam in Kochi or Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar evokes a similar sentiment in residents of these cities.

Trees, parks and urban forests are essential to cities not just as spaces of community building, but they also offer multiple ecological benefits, from building resilience against climate change to water security, biodiversity, resident health and well-being. Adequate green cover and various forms of green built environment, including nature-based solutions (NbS), improve the quality of urban life. It is estimated that if natural climate solutions are mobilized over the next 10 to 15 years, coupled with a reduction in fossil fuel emissions, they could provide 37% of the mitigation required for global climate targets.

An illustration showcasing nature inclusive cites. Image: Nileena.S /WRI India

The Cities4Forests global initiative defines an urban forest as the trees and shrubs in an urban area, including trees in yards, along streets and utility corridors, in protected areas and in watersheds. This includes individual trees, street trees, green spaces with trees and even the associated vegetation and the soil beneath the trees.

In cities, urban vegetation along with other blue-green infrastructure helps to mitigate climate risks like heat islands and urban floods, enhance urban resilience and ensure sustainability. They also play an important role in creating natural recreational spaces, mitigating dust pollution, reducing noise, creating green jobs and conserving topsoil.

Marine drive in Kochi. Photo: Rajeev Malagi/WRI India

Over the last decade, the central government in India has been working towards improving the green cover in cities. But planting trees continues to be seen as a cost rather than an asset. Success metrics for urban forestry is defined by planting rather than maintenance, and funding is usually inadequate because the financial returns from trees are simplified based on material revenue rather than returns in the form of ecosystem services. Such challenges prevent cities from raising the necessary public capital and participation to grow more urban forests.

The Urban Forest scheme, launched in 2024 to create Nagar Vans (Urban Forests), supports the extension of the green cover in cities. Instances of collective action to this end also exist in cities such as Chennai, Gurugram, Delhi and Kochi. But extensive conservation, promotion and addition of green cover continues to require concentrated and consistent efforts. We have identified three key actions for trees and forests to thrive and result in more livable cities for us all:

1. Engaging with Communities and Local Leaders 

Often overlooked, this is one of the most vital elements for the sustenance of any on-ground intervention. Stakeholders in the neighborhood need consistent support and repeated assurances about the benefits of urban forests and it should be ensured that residents, local champions and community leaders are included in co-designing and developing the space so that what is developed is based on what is required in their neighborhoods.

Stakeholder consultation meeting conducted by WRI India at Mamta Public School, Jaipur for developing urban rooftop gardens. Photo: Sidharth Thyagarajan/WRI India

2. Embracing Action through Institutional Partnerships

In urban areas, assisted planting of trees requires care since saplings need to adjust to the ambient temperature, pollution and biodiversity. Institutional partnerships can play an important role in making this happen. For example, through our sustained efforts under the Cities4Forests global initiative, we enabled the city of Kochi to effectively strategize a partnership with the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) of Kerala and utilize the Ayyankali Mission (an urban employment mission for non-skilled laborers) to ensure the nurturing of four neighborhood greening sites over a period of three years. The employment of local workers in maintaining the Kawaki sites, in particular the inclusion of women laborers and Self-Help Group (SHG) members, reveals a significant shift towards resilience-building and shaping more inclusive climate action planning by the urban local body.

Women from SHGs deepening the trench and removing weeds from the base of planted tree saplings as part of a routine maintenance process under the Ayyankali Scheme. Photo: Achu Sekhar/WRI India

3. Ensuring and Empowering the Next Generation

Our actions today can ensure long-term preparedness for climate risks, better living environment and ecosystem balance. Urban forests are one of the ways to help maintain this balance and promoting them is imperative for our future. Sensitizing youth to the importance of trees would not only ensure the protection and maintenance of these urban forests but will also aid the transition to green jobs.

A Kawaki site being cared for by students at the SRV Government School in Kochi. Photo: Achu Sekhar/WRI India

We must collectively reimagine the role trees play in our cities, not just as tools of beautification but as participants that improve urban life.

There is also an opportunity to further explore how urban forests can improve human health. But this entails safeguarding urban green spaces and preventing their conversion, enhancing forest management on working lands, using a variety of restoration techniques and planting urban forests. To better include the importance of trees in our lives, the conservation sector must recognize and promote the benefits of investing in forest protection, management and restoration as a prime method to restore our earth to its natural environment. As we look back on World Earth Day, let’s remember that rigorous collaboration, shared vision and action across various stakeholders is critical to ensure that ‘we invest in our planet’ for a better tomorrow. Along with the recommendations discussed in this blog, such collaborative action can help create healthier and more resilient cities for our coming generations.

This article originally appeared on WRI-India.org

Priya Narayanan is Program Manager – Urban Forestry & Urban Development at WRI India.

Linda Regi is Program Associate – Geo Analytics with WRI India’s Sustainable Cities and Transport program.

Achu R. Sekhar is Program Manager – Urban Planning and Disaster Resilience with WRI India’s Sustainable Cities and Transport program.

Expand
2024 SDG Summit at the United Nations General Assembly
The 2024 SDG Summit will be convened on 18-19 September 2024, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week and marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Heads of State and Government will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to follow-up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . They will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the SDGs. Learn more here: un.org/en/conferences/SDGSummit2024
…

2024 SDG Summit at the United Nations General Assembly

The 2024 SDG Summit will be convened on 18-19 September 2024, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week. Heads of State and Government will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to follow-up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . They will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the SDGs.

The Summit will also bring together political and thought leaders from governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, women and youth and other stakeholders in a series of high-level meetings with the Heads of State and Government.

The 2024 SDG Summit marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July 2022 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council called for the Summit to “ mark the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals .”

The SDG Summit will be chaired by the President of the General Assembly. The outcome of the Summit will be a negotiated political declaration.

This will be the second SDG Summit – the HLPF under the auspices of the General Assembly – since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in September 2015.

The special edition of the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet”, the Advance Unedited version has been released. Please read the Newsletter for the latest information.

Find more information here on the programme, documentation, registration, media, and more: un.org/en/conferences/SDGSummit2024

Expand
High-Level Political Forum 2024

High-Level Political Forum 2024

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held in New York from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday,

…
19 July 2024, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, 17 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2024 as part of the High-level Segment of the Council. The last day of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC will be on Thursday, 20 July 2024.

The theme will be " Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels ”.

In the forum, participants will be able to further discuss the effective and inclusive recovery measures to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explore actionable policy guidance for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs at all levels.

The HLPF in 2024, without prejudice to the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the SDGs, will also review in-depth Goals 6 on clean water and sanitation, 7 on affordable and clean energy, 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and 17 on partnerships for the Goals.

This includes special sessions on "Transformation from the ground up: Acting at local level" on 11 July and "SDGs in focus: SDG 11 and interlinkages with other SDGs –Sustainable cities and communities" on 13 July.

List of high-level and side events on SDG 11 and SDG localization:

In addition, 39 countries and territories will present their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the forum: Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chile, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, European Union, France, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mongolia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, St Kitts & Nevis , Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, and Zambia. 

The HLPF in July will also support the mid-term review of the implementation of the SDGs and the preparations for the 2024 SDG Summit – the HLPF to be convened under the auspices of the General Assembly in September 2024.

Learn more here: hlpf.un.org/2024/programme

UN Web TV Live Stream Link: media.un.org/en/webtv

Expand
Second Session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly
The second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly will be held from 5 to 9 June 2024 in Nairobi. Kenya. The theme of the session is “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises.” As the governance body of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Habitat Assembly convenes every four years. Thematic discussions will focus on universal access to affordable housing, urban climate action, urban crises recovery, urban crises recovery, localization of the SDGs, and prosperity and local finance.
…

Second Session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly 

The second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly will be held from 5 to 9 June 2024 in Nairobi. Kenya. The theme of the session is “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises.”

As the governance body of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Habitat Assembly convenes every four years. It is the highest global decision-making body on sustainable urbanization and human settlements.

The 193 UN Member States cast the votes, while participants include non-Member States, other UN bodies and specialized agencies, as well as intergovernmental organizations, civil society, private sector, academia and research institutions, women, youth and children, and grassroots organizations.

Thematic debates and discussions during the Assembly will focus on the following topics:
Universal access to affordable housing: Member States are encouraged to explore mechanisms to achieve the universal right to adequate housing and move towards removing existing barriers to affordable housing.

Urban climate action: to achieve the global commitment to stay within 1.5˚C limit on rising temperatures by 2030, Member States are encouraged to explore realistic urban pathways for climate action.

Urban crises recovery: current crises are increasingly more urban, with cities very often serving as the main places of arrival for displaced people. Member States are encouraged to empower cities to respond to urban crises and support national recovery efforts.

Localization of the SDGs: the Assembly will look at local actions needed to advance the implementation of SDGs to meet the 2030 Development Agenda targets. Member States will also be invited to explore financial mechanisms to ensure resources are directed toward urban development and reach local levels.

Prosperity and local finance: to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, respond to urban crises, advance urban climate action, and ensure adequate and affordable housing for all, cities need policies and fiscal resources. Member States are invited to explore policies and market mechanisms to ensure financial flows directed towards urban development and reach local levels. 

Notification by the Executive Director on the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme: English | Русский | Español | Français | 中文 | العربية

More information here

Expand
2024 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment
The 2024 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment will build on the momentum of the 2021 Food Systems Summit and will create a conducive space for countries to review commitments to action that were made during the Summit, share stories of success and early signs of transformation, maintain the momentum for bold acceleration and bold action to further the resilience of food systems, advocate for their adaptation to climate change, ensure they contribute to communities’ resilience to further shocks and crises, and boost the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Learn more here: fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1637564/
…

2024 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment

The UN Secretary-General has committed in his Chair Summary and Statement of Action on the UN Food Systems Summit to convene “a global stocktaking meeting every two years to review progress in implementing the outcomes of this process and its contributions to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. This will be supported by the RBAs, the broader UN System and partners.”

The 2024 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment will build on the momentum of the 2021 Food Systems Summit and will create a conducive space for countries to review commitments to action that were made during the Summit, share stories of success and early signs of transformation, maintain the momentum for bold acceleration and bold action to further the resilience of food systems, advocate for their adaptation to climate change, ensure they contribute to communities’ resilience to further shocks and crises, and boost the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The Stocktaking Moment will take place in Rome, Italy from 24 – 26 July 2024, at the premises of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It will be hosted by Italy, in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP), the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and the wider UN system.

More information: 

  • https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1637564/
  • https://www.unfoodsystemshub.org/fs-stocktaking-moment/
Expand
Youth in Cities Dialogue

The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network (CSCN) is hosting two dialogue sessions to share and exchange on the Youth Agenda for Cities in the Commonwealth. Please save the date relevant to your time zone.

…

Youth in Cities Dialogue

The Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network is holding a unique online event, entitled - Youth in Cities Dialogue - coming up in May. To accommodate all regions of the Commonwealth, they are taking place as follows:

  • 9th / 10th May 2024 at 20.00 UTC

(Caribbean/Canada (afternoon) / Pacific (morning))  

  • 11th May 2024 at 10.00 UTC

(Africa/Europe (morning) / Asia (afternoon))  

Delivered in collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation (CYSU), the session is intended as a wide ranging discussion which will touch on key services for young people in cities and the challenges they are facing across the Commonwealth. It will also examine strategies and existing examples for including young people in local decision making, the democratic process and place shaping. These sessions are intended as a broad overview of key issues. They will provide an opportunity to share the services developed, the experiences of their implementation and to discuss applicability to your region.   

Early registrations are being taken.

Click Here to Register. 

For further information, please contact CLGF Senior Programme Officer - Networks, Janine Xavier-Cross at     

Retrieved from https://www.clgf.org.uk/whats-new/news/youth-in-cities-dialogue-sign-up-for-this-online-event/

Expand
Accelerating Toward Green & Inclusive Mobility | Transforming Transportation 2024