Highlights and images for 12 November 2019

World Congress of United Cities and Local Governments and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders

Summary

Highlights for Tuesday, 12 November 2019

The second day of the UCLG Congress 2019 continued at the Durban International Convention Centre.

The United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders convened for a series of preparatory and networking meetings ahead of Wednesday’s official opening. UCLG Secretary-General, Emilia Saiz, addressed the Fourth UCLG Learning Forum, which consisted of learning interaction opportunities, providing an assessment of the state of learning within the network and recommendations to extend the reach of UCLG policies.Work under the discussion Tracks proceeded, with delegates considering, among other topics:

The role of culture as a vehicle of public policy and as the fourth pillar of development, with a focus on the ULCG’s African Capital of Culture initiative;

Urban equality, human rights, migration, and gender.

Citizenship and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

Sustainable mobility, urban policy, diversity, finance and investment, and citizenship; and

Peripheral cities and the New Urban Agenda.

Gender equality featured in a number of meetings, including a special session on the future of equality “Beyond Beijing+25”, which looked forward to the sixty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64) to be held in New York when the UN will mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). Also on Tuesday, Ubuntu Advisors, Ana Falú, Argentina, and Sheela Patel, India, underlined the centrality of gender to the UCLG Congress with a shared analysis of the deep inequalities experienced by urban women and the urgency of local responses, led by women. A statement from the special session on Beijing+25 may go forward to the UN Commission on the Status of Women on Beijing+25 and Agenda 2030.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the #UCLGCongress Durban 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the Congress, which is now available in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth

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Local4Action Hub

Panel speakers during the session 'The role of Agenda 2030 in creating citizenship: how can local governments use the SDGs to connect with their citizens?' (L-R): Diana Lopez, Local Government and Decentralization Unit, UN-Habitat; Johannes Krassnitzer, Director, Art-GOLD initiative, UN Development Programme (UNDP); Carla Rey, Secretary-General, Italian National Association for the European Council of Municipalities and Regions (AICCRE); Miquel Rodríguez Planas, Commissioner of the 2030 Agenda, Barcelona City Council, Spain; and Federico Poitier, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, World Enabled.

Diana Lopez, Head, Local Government and Decentralization Unit, UN-Habitat

Johannes Krassnitzer, Director, Art-GOLD initiative, UNDP

Local4Action Track

Panel speakers during the session on 'Safe public spaces' (L-R): Puven Akkiah, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa; Debora Gambetta Paier and Barbara Holtmann, UN-Habitat; Sibongiseni Mkhize, Chief Whip, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa; and Ayanda Roji, City of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Panel speakers during the session on 'Training on Sustainable Mobility' (L-R): Kim Won-Ho, Director, The Seoul Institute; José Dionisio González, International Association of Public Transport (UITP); and Quentin Champauzac, City and Eurometropolis of Strasbourg, France.

Panel speakers during the 'Forum of Regions' session included (L-R): Firdaous Oussidhhoum, UCLG; Ilaria Bugetti; Councillor of Toscana Region, Italy; Mohamed Boudra, Mayor of Al Hoceima, Morocco, and President of the Moroccan Association of Communal Council of Presidents (AMPCC); María Julia Reyna, Secretary of International Relations and Integration of the Government of Santa Fe, Argentina; Fatimatou Abdel Malick, President of Nouakchott Regional Council, Mauritania; and Patrick Braouezec, President, Plaine Commune Metropolitan Region, France, and Co-Chair of the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy, and Human Rights.

Ayanda Roji, City of Johannesburg, South Africa

Rasim Ari, Mayor of Nevsehir, Turkey

Panel speakers for the session 'Culture Driven Public Policies' (L-R): Chae Jong Hyub, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Republic of Korea; Mariana Flores, Government of the City of Mexico, Mexico; Soham El Wardini, Mayor of Dakar, Senegal; Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, UCLG Africa.

Panel speakers for the 'Forum of Peripheral Cities' (L-R): Djamel Sandid, Coordinator, UCLG Peripheral Cities
Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco; Lia Brum, World Secretariat – Metropolis; Abdoulaye Thimbo, Mayor of Pikine, Senegal; and Patrick Braouezec, President, Plaine Commune Metropolitan Region, France, and Co-Chair of the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy, and Human Rights.

Ana María Falú and Sheela Patel, UBUNTU Advisors, speak during a session focused on gender equality.

Participants speak informally between sessions.

Panel speakers for the 'Is Urban Policy Working for You?' (L-R): Rafael Forero, UN-Habitat; Agustí Serra Monté, Secretary of Urban Habitat and Territory of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Spain; Ellen van Selm, Mayor of Opsterland, the Netherlands; Edgardo Bilsky, UCLG; and Nomkita Fani, Intermediate Cities and Spatial Planning, South Africa.

Panel speakers during the session 'Human rights and rights to the city: what are emerging priorities for local governments?' (L-R): Annie Chrystel Limburg, Deputy Mayor of Libreville, Gabon; Patrick Braouezec, President, Plaine Commune Metropolitan Region, France, and Co-Chair of the UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy, and Human Rights; Imen Ouardani, City of Sousse, Tunisia; Fernanda Hassem, Mayor of Brasiléia, Brazil; and Nelson Fernández, Montevideo and Metropolis Regional Secretary, Argentina.

Panel speakers during the session 'Partnerships for Urban Equality' (L-R): Caren Levy, University College London, UK; Anelis María Marichal González, Institute of Physical Planning, Havana, Cuba; Michele Acuto, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne, Australia; and Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Panel speakers during the 'Forum of Intermediary Cities' (L-R): Rasim Ari, Mayor of Nevsehir, Turkey; José Manuel Ribeiro, Mayor of Valongo, Portugal; Kontxi Odriozola Eizaguirre, Barcelona Council, Spain; Carlos Martínez Mínguez, Mayor of Soria, Spain; Hassan Fateh General Directorate of Local Authorities, Morocco; Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco; Jake Elder, Bloomberg Associates; and Joan Chicón, Terrassa, Spain.

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone

Fatmata Shour, Activist, Poet, and Actor, Sierra Leone

Rafael Forero, UN-Habitat, speaks during the session 'MetroHub: supporting metropolitan development worldwide.'

Panel speakers for the session '#Cities4Migration: The MC2CM experience - from dialogue and knowledge to action' (L-R): Mounir Elloumi, Mayor of Sfax, Tunisia; Ümit Şahin, Deputy Mayor of Sancaktepe, Turkey; and Mohamed Boussraoui, Director of Programme, UCLG.

Panel speakers for the session 'Raising national ambition on climate: the role of cities in the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and long-term emissions reduction strategies' (L-R): Adrian Fenton, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group; Jantine Kriens, CEO, Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG); Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco, and President of UCLG Forum of Intermediary Cities; Maryke Van Staden, Director of Bonn Center for Local Climate Action and Reporting of ICLEI; Steven Bland, Climate Change and Urban Planning Consultant of UN-Habitat; and Bev Esslinger, Councillor of Edmonton, Canada, and Board Member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Special Sessions

Panel speakers during the special session focused on 'The future of equality: beyond Beijing+25' (L-R): Noraini Binti Roslan, Mayor of Subang Java, Malaysia; Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia; Thembi Nkadimeng, South African Local Government Association (SALGA); Ana María Falú, UBUNTU Advisor; Carola Gunnarsson, Vice-President, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR); Lucy Slack, Deputy Secretary General, Commonwealth Local Governments Forum (CLGF); and Evgenia Lodvidova, Vice Mayor of Kazan, Russian Federation.

Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, The Gambia

Roland Ries, UCLG Co-President, Senator, and Mayor of Strasbourg, France

Panel speakers during the special session 'The future of mobility' (L-R): Mzwandile Masina, Executive Mayor, City of Ekurhuleni, South Africa; José Dionisio González, UITP; Esteban Galuzzi, Undersecretary for Transportation and Traffic, City of Buenos Aires; Erion Veliaj; Mayor of Tirana, Albania; Roland Ries, UCLG Co-President, Senator, and Mayor of Strasbourg, France; Annalisa Palozzo; Councillor of the Municipality of Cepagatti, Italy; Jean-Pierre Elong Mbassi, Secretary General, UCLG Africa; Mariana Flores, Government of Mexico City, Mexico; and David Cull, Mayor of Dunedin City Council, New Zealand.