Metropolis News • Secretariat General
Number 4 • September 2013
English version
Newsletter
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Johannesburg Hosts Metropolis Annual Meeting
with Great Success
The 2013 Metropolis Annual Meeting, held in Johannesburg, was closed with great success on 19 July 2013, having drawn over 400 participants from different cities from
around the world.
Over the four days of meetings, the Caring Cities theme
was present in all of the sessions held. Experts and political representatives acted as the spokespeople for their
respective cities to make the meetings a discussion forum
for the exchange of knowledge and to give the delegates
present a first-hand account of their experiences.
The next meeting of the Metropolis network will take place
in Hyderabad from 6 to 10 October 2014 to mark the
11th Metropolis World Congress and the celebration of
the Association’s 30th Anniversary.
Over the course of the first day of sessions, the South African Cities Network panel discussion started, which analyzed the Ubuntu concept related to the meeting’s theme,
Caring Cities. The panel analysis initiated the rest of the
meetings, which addressed different sub-themes related to
these concepts; however, the analysis aimed to go beyond
just policies, legislation and figures.
In turn, Metropolis and UN-Habitat collaborated once again
through the Safer Cities Global Network and presented the
outcomes of a number of outstanding experiences carried
out by some cities on the African continent and in Latin
America which apply the “safe cities” concept. The session was opened by the Mayor of Johannesburg, Mpho
Franklyn (Parks) Tau, Aisa Kirabo Kacyra, deputy executive
director of UN-Habitat, Metropolis Secretary General Alain
Le Saux and Mr. Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the United States Conference of Mayors (to check
the list of speakers, click here). The session ended with
speeches by Metropolis member cities and experts in the
issue of safety in South Africa.
For its part, the Metropolis Women International Network enjoyed the collaboration of political representatives
and experts in gender issues who discussed the role of
local authorities in the development of policies that can prevent violence and foster the protection of vulnerable groups
such as women (to check the speakers, click here).
Following this discussion, the Network’s Antennae met to
elect their offices of the President and Vice-President. Bar-
Number 4 • September 2013
English version
celona was chosen to fill the role of the Presidency (Francina Vila), and the cities of Abidjan and Athens the Vice Presidencies (Yaba Catherine Zouzoua and Anna Hatziyiannaki,
respectively).
17 July was the most important day of the meeting with the
celebration of the Opening Ceremony and the political Plenary Session on the event’s general theme, Caring Cities.
The opening ceremony featured the distinguished presence of the Mayor of Johannesburg, the Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, taking part on behalf of the Metropolis
President, and the deputy executive director of UN-Habitat,
Aisa Kirabo Kacyira. The South African Minister of Planning,
Trevor Manuel, offered the attendees an exceptional speech
on “more humane cities” drawn from his experience in government.
The political plenary session brought together political representatives from Johannesburg in the form of mayor
Mpho Parks Tau, the deputy mayor of São Paulo Nadia
Campeão, the vice president of the Barcelona Metropolitan
Area, Antoni Balmón, and the deputy mayor of Hyderabad,
Golkonda Rajkumar.
Each addressed a different facet a city should have to be a
Caring City and set out to the attendees ways that their cities could focus their policies to make them more humane.
The coordinators of the Metropolis Initiatives met again to
assess the operation of the Initiatives over the past year and
set new starting points to improve their functioning. Three
Initiatives of the eight under way held two meetings in Johannesburg: The Berlin and Melbourne Initiatives worked
together to explain the “Circles of Sustainability” methodology to the delegates present, led by Prof. Paul James. In a
parallel session, the Metropolis Initiative led by the State of
São Paulo offered a conference on different funding mechanisms for urban projects.
The thematic sessions, organized by the city of Johannesburg, were very well attended by the delegates. Over the
six sessions, the Ubuntu philosophy linked with the Caring
Cities theme (“More humane cities”) was present with the
following themes: food resilience, agile cities, the informal
economy, resilience of resources, committed citizens and
social cohesion. Each session featured well-known international experts on the theme.
Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
conflict resolution, democracy, human rights, peace and
reconciliation. The date not only pays homage to Mandela’s
life but is a worldwide call for people to recognize their own
ability to have a positive effect on others. This year the city
of Johannesburg organized an activity that saw the delegates dedicate 67 minutes of their time to others by making
customized toys to give to the Entokozweni Day Care Centre. Also, taking advantage of the delegates’ attendance,
the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital presented its development project and reminded people that its construction
will only be possible through the donations it receives.
FMDV held its Board Meeting, which included the presentation of the REsolutions campaign as part of the session
on “Towards Sustainable Funding for Urban Development in
Africa: Challenges, Barriers and Opportunities”.
The Metropolis Board of Directors meeting was held
once more. Decisions included the approval of two new
Metropolis Initiatives: the Cybernarium and the “Creation of
an Orthotics and Prosthetics Adaptation Center for Victims
of Amputation”. Both Initiatives will run for one year.
The Metropolis International Institute met with the antennae to define the 2014 schedule and coordinate the actions
to take next year.
The Hyderabad delegation presented the project for the
11th Metropolis World Congress in Hyderabad in October 2014, establishing the areas of action to coordinate with
the Metropolis Secretariat-General.
Furthermore, Metropolis member cities were chosen to
host upcoming events, after presenting their candidatures
and having them voted on by the Board. The results were:
· Metropolis 2015 Annual Meeting Host Member: City of
Buenos Aires
· Metropolis 2016 Annual Meeting Host Member: City of
Dakar
Metropolis currently has 125 members, of which five formalized their incorporation at the Board of Directors meeting in
Johannesburg: New Taipei City, São Paulo (city), Ahmedabad, NIUA-India and Victoria (Seychelles).
Information on the presentations, interviews and photographs are now available on the website of the 2013 Johannesburg Annual Meeting.
International Nelson Mandela Day, also known as Mandela Day, is celebrated every 18 June in remembrance of
everything Nelson Mandela has achieved in the fields of
www.metropolis.org
Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
Number 4 • 2013
English version
Joburg releases the Caring Cities report
Johannesburg has just released the report “Caring Cities”,
which brings a comprehensive description of the 2013 Metropolis Annual Meeting, hosted by the city between July
16th and 19th. The document depicts each session of the
program and reflects the key issues and ideas that emerged during the main event of the year for our association.
The report seeks to expand the discussion about the concept of “caring cities” brought up by the first Metropolis
Annual Meeting on African soil. Closely aligned with the ancient African philosophy of Ubuntu, the concept of “caring
cities” emphasizes our common humanity and the need for
all to live and treat each other with compassion. In the urban scenario, caring cities are the ones that put in practice
actions that include, dignify and give ownership to all their
inhabitants, among other ideas which were intensely debated in Johannesburg last July.
Check the report here!
Below you can browse the first pages of the report, which
is available in its full version for the members of Metropolis.
If you are not yet a member, but still wish to have a copy
of the entire document, please contact the Metropolis Secretariat General.
Number 4 • 2013
English version
Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
Countdown for the 3rd World Forum of the
Metropolis Women International Network
The 3rd World Forum of the Metropolis Women International
Network will take place in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) from the
24th to 27th September 2013.
The highly topical issue of this forum will be violence
against women. The sessions will conduct a review of the
current situation of women in armed conflicts and the
outlook in post-conflict situations.
Moreover, an assessment will be made of the national and
international instruments and mechanisms for the protection of women’s rights, as well as of the role of civil
society organisations. The political governance for safer
cities for women will also be addressed.
As part of the programme, participants will take part in a
first-hand experience in a neighbourhood in Abidjan, and in
technical visits to the Ahouakro Archaeological Park, the city
of Yamoussoukro and the historic town of Grand-Bassam.
Click here to view the full programme.
You also have the option to see your organisation represented at a stand in our exhibition area. Please click here for
further information.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to interact with women
who hold political positions in Metropolis member cities,
decision-makers operating in the local and metropolitan environment, community leaders and activists from all over the
world. Register now here .
We look forward to meeting you in Abidjan!
Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
Number 4 • 2013
English version
The World Summit approaches, Registration
open up to the 20th September!
The World Summit is approaching. In around one month the World Summit
of Local and Regional Leaders of United Cities and Local Governments
(UCLG) will take place in the Moroccan capital Rabat from 1 to 4 October
2013. Rabat will be the setting for the biggest meeting of local and regional
elected representatives the world over, with over 3000 participants from
100 countries.
If you haven’t done it yet. Now is the time to register! The online registration
closes on the 20th September. After this date, all registrations will have to be
made upon direct presentation at the Summit.
For more information on registration, accommodation and other logistical
questions click here.
In today’s difficult climate, marked by economic crises and a reduction in the
resources of local governments, we are forced to imagine new development
alternatives for our territories, characterised by solidarity and sustainability. With
this aim in mind, the four main topics of the Congress programme will be under
debate during thematic roundtables that will take place on 3rd October and will
also be addressed prior to the event openly through social networks. The questions that will be addressed during the roundtables that are equally open to the
public include: fostering wellbeing, strengthening solidarity among territories, supporting new local governance and promoting diversity.
> Consult the Pre-Programme on the UCLG Congress website here.
The Summit in Rabat will be a unique opportunity to commemorate the centenary of the international municipal. The latest news on the commemoration of
the centenary can be found on the centenary section of the Congress website
dedicated to this topic and on Twitter via the hashtag #UCLG100.
Click here to access our centenary webpage.
We are counting on your participation to reinforce our presence at international level and to defend “the future that local and regional governments
want”.
Follow UCLG activities and the latest news on the Congress through Twitter at @
uclg_org and #Rabat2013, and also through Facebook and Linkedin.
Number 4 • September 2013
English version
Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
‘Planning Partnerships for Sustainability’: Metropolis Initiative workshop takes place in New Delhi
The workshop ‘Planning Partnerships for Sustainability’, organized within the
framework of the Metropolis Initiative “Integrated Strategic Planning and PublicPrivate Partnerships”, was held on July 25 and 26 in New Delhi. Hosted by the
National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), the event was the second in a series of
workshops of the initiative led by Melbourne.
The first day included keynote addresses linked to emerging scenarios in public
private partnerships (PPPs) projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal
Mission (JNNURM), a large scale series of actions started in 2005 for the redevelopment of the cities in India. Presenters and participants used various filters to
explore the theme of sustainability, such as financial assessment, reform, PPPs
in infrastructure development and management, and partnerships with NGOs.
The day was concluded with a panel discussion titled “Making Partnerships Sustainable – City Perspective”.
On the second day, the workshop was dedicated to the Circles of Sustainability
approach proposed by the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme.
Participants were guided in the use of integrated strategic planning techniques,
the process for assessing the sustainability of their cities, and responses to base-line urban profiles of New Delhi and Hyderabad. This involved understanding
the steps in the Issue Ratification Process, from defining and analysing the issues, to the indicator selection phase.
The workshop was designed expressly for decision makers and key staff from
all levels of government involved in the planning, provision and maintenance of
vital infrastructure. It was attended by politicians, senior bureaucrats, city commissioners, urban development practitioners and representatives from NGOs,
universities and the private sector, and provided significant inputs for the next
Metropolis World Congress, which will be held in Hyderabad, in October 2014.
Photo: Construction of underpass at a road junction in Bangalore, one of the
projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which
was analysed during the workshop.
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Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
Number 4 • 2013
English version
Mashhad invites Metropolis members to
seminars on smart cities and strategic planning
The International Scientific Cooperation Office (ISCO) of Mashhad, which hosts
one of regional centers of the Metropolis International Training Institute (MITI),
is organizing paralell seminars in from October 10 to 13, about the subjects of
smart cities and strategic planning.
The spaces are limited and the deadline for registrations is Tuesday, October
1st. Click here for further information.
Number 4 • September 2013
English version
Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
Barcelona to host the presidency of the
Metropolis Women International Network.
Abidjan and Athens to host the vice-presidencies
The Metropolis Women International Network met in Johannesburg on 16 July
2013 in the context of the Metropolis Board of Directors. At that meeting, the
cities representing the Network’s regional antennae unanimously approved
Barcelona’s candidacy to host the presidency of the Network, represented by
Francina Vila, Councillor for Women and Civil Rights of Barcelona City
Council. They also unanimously approved the candidacies to host the vice-presidencies; Abidjan, represented by Zouzoua Yaba Cathérine, and Athens,
represented by Anna Hatziyiannaki.
In her presentation speech, the President said that she was “convinced her
new team was up to the task of rising to one of the most important challenges of big cities today: to continue to strive to make progress on women’s
rights”.
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Newsletter Metropolis • September 2013
Number 4 • 2013
English version
Calendar
Day
Venue
Event
september 2013
22-29
Seoul Human Resource Metropolis International Institute Regional Seminar on “Risk management:
Development Center
experiences and learning in the global context”
SHRDC, Seoul
24-27
Abidjan
International Forum “Dynamic Cities Need Women”
october 2013
1-4
Rabat
UCLG World Congress
10-14
Mashhad
Metropolis International Institute - Training Workshop: “Strategic Planning
and Performance measurements”/”Smart Cities”
november 2013
19-21
Barcelona
General Secretariat
Avinyó 15 08002 Barcelona
Tel. (+34) 93 342 94 60 · Fax.(+34) 93 342 94 66
E-mail: metropolis@metropolis.org · www.metropolis.org
Smart City Congress
Regional Secretaries
Abidjan Africa · Melbourne Asia Pacific ·
Paris Ile-de-France Europe · Montreal North America ·
São Paulo Latin America - Caribbean