Updates from ICLEI's Global Sustainability Network Edition #33 March 2016

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Updates from ICLEI's Global Sustainability Network Edition #33 March 2016

James Nxumalo Mayor, eThekwini Municipality/Durban, South Africa Dear ICLEI Friends and Colleagues, Each year, an increasing number of countries are impacted by climate change. Last month, Cyclone Winston killed at least 29 people in Fiji, while 2015 saw destructive flooding in India, Malawi and Mozambique, along with severe drought in Ethiopia. Cities must increase resilience to these kinds of shocks by incorporating resilience into all aspects of planning. This means, for example, addressing the fact that almost all natural disasters damage informal settlements most heavily, destroying not just homes and livelihoods but social cohesion and economic prosperity. We must also ensure that economic development in our cities does not come at the expense of resilience – in all of its forms. This might mean tackling financial inequality or regulating the development of housing and office space to ensure adequate buffer zones or green areas. On 22 April, national governments must sign the Paris Agreement from COP21 last December, in which cities were acknowledged as key stakeholders in the global climate regime. With this increased support from nations, cities must now accelerate implementation of climate change adaptation as well as mitigation measures. The opportunities and barriers to implementing integrated resilience will be discussed and debated at Resilient Cities 2016, ICLEI’s annual global forum on urban resilience and adaptation. Taking place from 6-8 July in Bonn, Germany, Resilient Cities 2016 will have a particular focus on inclusion, finance and global processes, while covering a wide range of themes during three days of presentations and workshops. I encourage local and subnational governments, academics, students, technical advisors, engineers, risk managers, adaptation experts and anyone with a strong interest in urban resilience to join ICLEI at Resilient Cities 2016. With kind regards, James Nxumalo Mayor, eThekwini Municipality/Durban; ICLEI First Vice President and Co-Chair of Resilient City Strategies; Co-Patron Resilient Cities 2016

Highlighted Events News and Opportunities for your ICLEI Calendar

Resilient Cities 2016: Early Bird Extension & Exhibition Reminder The deadline for the Early Bird discount for Resilient Cities 2016 has been extended to 1 May. Register now to secure your reduced ticket fee for the congress. If you would like to showcase your work as an exhibitor and benefit from direct contact with participants, please write to resilient.cities@iclei.org. Read More

Global News Updates from ICLEI's Global Sustainability Network

ICLEI Calls for Innovation and Scaling Up in Urban Financing Ahead of Habitat III As representatives gathered for a Habitat III preparatory meeting in Mexico City, ICLEI continued to encourage policy makers and financial institutions to focus on innovation and scaling up as part of discussions on urban development financing. Ongoing collaborative initiatives, including the Compact of Mayors and the Transformative Actions Program (TAP) can play an important role in this process. Read More

ICLEI Gap Analysis Report Highlights $9 Billion Requirement A new report from ICLEI shows that implementing all 120 projects submitted to the Trasnformative Actions Program (TAP) will require a total investment of at least USD 9 billion, an amount that triples the total financing secured by the Green Climate Fund in its 2015 portfolio. Read More

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ICLEI Joins Campaign for IPCC Special Report on Cities and Climate Change The South African government has submitted a proposal for an IPCC Special Report on Cities and Climate Change, to be included in the upcoming 6th Assessment Report (AR6). ICLEI has joined C40 and other actors in campaigning for this proposal, which would consolidate the role of cities as key players in global climate action. Read More

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Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific Highlights Key Global Resilience Themes The second Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific (RCAP) congress, which took place in Melaka, Malaysia on 2-4 March 2016, highlighted the particularities of resilience-building in the Asia-Pacific region while connecting these challenges to the many resilience issues with broader global relevance. Read More

More Southeast Asian Cities Commit to the Compact of Mayors World Cities to Outline Next Steps for Increased City-to-City Cooperation Global Taskforce Convenes 1st Session of 2nd World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments Contributions Invited for Nantes "Climate Chance" Summit by 7 April 2016 Cities Invited to Submit Applications for Guangzhou Award Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge Offers Millions of Dollars to Cities Denmark and Spain Lead Compact Commitments in Europe OECD and Fort Foundation Launch Inclusive Growth for Cities Campaign

Local Action Snippets of Local Action from around the Globe

ICLEI to Manage Low Emissions Asian Development Partnership ICLEI South Asia, in partnership with ICLEI South East Asia and ICLEI East Asia, has been awarded the management of the Asia LEDS Partnership Secretariat. The Asia LEDS Partnership is one of three regional platforms of the LEDS Global Partnership, an initiative launched in 2011 that accelerates low-emissions development in cities. Read More

Medellin Wins Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Medellin, Colombia, has been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in recognition of its pioneering efforts on urban sustainability, including the construction of the Metrocable urban transport system. ICLEI congratulates Medellin on this achievement and looks forward to the ongoing success of its sustainability initiatives. Read More

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Coimbatore Sets a Guinness World Record 12,994 participants attended the world's largest ever recycling lesson, organized by Coimbatore Municipal Corporation. The city aimed to generate a better understanding of community involvement in source segregation, litter collection, and waste handling and disposal. ICLEI South Asia assisted with the event. Read More

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Ashok Sridharan Welcomes UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for Bonn Anniversary On the 20th anniversary of Bonn as a UN city, the Mayor of Bonn and ICLEI Global Executive Committee member Ashok Shridaran welcomed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the World Conference Center Bonn. Mayor Sridharan highlighted how Bonn works with numerous agencies and organizations located in the city to further a common vision for urban sustainability. Read More

Stockholm, Cologne and Barcelona Publish Updates on Creating a Smart City Melaka Citizens Pledge to Work with Government on Urban Resilience African Local Governments Step up to Earth Hour City Challenge ICLEI Korea Members Explore Strategic Plan Implementation at Annual Membership Assembly Hamburg Bans Environmentally Damaging Coffee Capsules from Public Buildings Bologna Hosts Workshop on Future Energy Scenarios

Would you like to see your local sustainability story featured? Contact media@iclei.org

Agendas ICLEI's 10 Urban Agendas for Sustainable Cities in Focus

Budapest and the City of Tshwane Join the Global Sustainable Procurement Network The Global Lead City Network on Sustainable Procurement has welcomed two new participants: Budapest, Hungary and the City of Tshwane, South Africa. By signing the commitments document, both cities have expressed their intent to play a leading role in the implementation of sustainable public procurement (SPP). Read More

Join the Global District Energy in Cities Initiative The Global District Energy in Cities Initiative (DES Initiative) helps local governments and stakeholders to accelerate the uptake of modern district energy. Are you engaged in or planning district energy projects? Share your needs in the online survey and benefit from this major cooperative enterprise. Read More

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Urban Resilience: From Surviving to Thriving How has the term "resilience" come to be used in urban debates? Laura Kavanaugh, our Resilient Cities Team Leader, explores the history of the concept and explains the opportunities it now offers. Don't forget to register for the global Resilient Cities 2016 congress in July! Read More

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New Blog Series Highlights Paradoxes of Smart Cities The first in a three-part blog series explains the Jevons paradox and its relevance to the development of smart cities. ICLEI invites everyone interested in smart cities to join the Smart CITIES 2.0 conference at Metropolitan Solutions 2016. Read More

Solutions Gateway Webinar Recording Now Available Smart CITIES 2.0 to Feature Perspectives from Cities around the World Attend Open European Day – Pre-Event for Resilient Cities 2016

Recent Publications Dialogue Report: 100% Renewable Energy in Cities Cities Today (February 2016) ICLEI East Asia Secretariat Annual Report 2015 (English) (Chinese) EcoMobility World Festival Johannesburg Report (Chinese) Sino-Europe sub-forum on Resilient Cities and Water Management Forum Report (English) (Chinese) Upcoming Events 4-5 April 2016: Habitat III Thematic Meeting: Public Spaces, Barcelona, Spain 7-8 April 2016: Habitat III Thematic Meeting: Informal Settlements, Pretoria, South Africa 25-29 April 2016: Capacity Building Program on Low Carbon & Sustainable City Development, Seoul, Republic of Korea 26 April 2016: GREEN SURGE Stakeholder Dialogue Forum, Bilbao, Spain 27-29 April 2016: 8th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns, Basque Country, Spain 4-6 May 2016: Climate Action 2016: Catalyzing a Sustainable Future, Washington DC, USA 16-17 May 2016: Habitat III Informal Hearings with Local Authorities Associations, New York, USA 16-27 May 2016: UN Bonn Climate Change Conference, Bonn, Germany 23-28 May 2016: 2nd UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA-2), Nairobi, Kenya 31 May-2 June 2016: Metropolitan Solutions 2016, Berlin, Germany 16-17 June 2016: 5th Informed Cities Forum, Dresden, Germany 6-8 July 2016: Resilient Cities 2016, Bonn, Germany 10-14 July 2016: World Cities Summit, Singapore

Photo Credits "Hamburg Bans...": Image copyright: Image (Photo on Flickr) by "Karsten Seiferlin", licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 "8th European Conference...": Image (Basque Government) by "Mikel Arrazola". "Medellin Wins...": Image courtesy of Municipality of Medellin

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