•
Ministerial Segment
of the Africa Regional Preparatory Confcerence
on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)
Green Economy in the context of
sustainable development and
poverty eradication and institutional
and strategic frameworks
Presenter: Marlene Laros
•
The structure of the presentation
1.
Introduction to ICLEI as organizing partner for Major Group Local
Authorities
2.
The significance of the Green Urban Economy for sustainable
development and poverty reduction
3. Recommendations on institutional & strategic frameworks
4. Engaging relevant actors UNCSD+20 and beyond
1. Who is ICLEI?
• ICLEI is a leading association of local governments
• Over 1200 members from all over the world, representing over 500
million people
• The ICLEI Africa Secretariat works with 56 African local government
members from over 27 African States
• The ICLEI Africa Secretariat works in partnership with United Cities and
Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) to engage local governments in
supporting local sustainability initiatives in Africa.
• Key participant already in the original Rio conference in 1992, helping to
design and implement Local Agenda 21
•
Overview of ICLEI Rio+20 activities
ICLEI as Local Authority Major Group Organizing Partner
• Ongoing advocacy work
• Coordination and information exchange
ICLEI as convener
• ICLEI World Congress
• Global Town Hall at Rio+20
• Urban Thematic Day (?)
• Case studies
ICLEI as opinion leader
• Local Sustainability 2012 study
• Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development: need for a better
governance including all stakeholders
• Green economy: Green urban economy
Local Sustainability 2012 Global Study:
Overview
To lay the ground for a Local Government contribution to the
UN Conference on Sustainable Development
 documenting the variety of local processes for sustainability
that have emerged all over the world, across most diverse political and
economic cultures
 analyzing the impacts of such local processes
and their success or failure to initiate the necessary transition processes
towards more sustainable cities
 proposing new ways forward for local governments
in their need to make their cities more resource-efficient, resilient and human
and to green their urban economies
 outlining the governance framework necessary
to be implemented on national and international levels in order for local
governments to successfully contribute to global sustainability
•
Green Urban Economy:
6 Modules form the local way to Rio+20 and beyond
2
5
Survey: Economic and
environmental performance of
green cities
Case studies
Presentations, media
work etc prior to and in
Rio+20
Model cities
3
Global GUE report, including
-
Local policies, mechanisms,
strategies …
Local cases …
Arguments, facts, figures
New ppp Models
Potential analysis of municipal
action for GUE
Rio+20
decisions,
projects,
implementation
Final
Draft
4
Think
Tank
6
Towards program
implementation:
design and
preparation
1
Supporting the Rio+20 preparatory process
1 August 2011
1 Jan 2012
Rio+20
ICLEI
World Congress
2. The significance of the Green Urban
Economy for sustainable development and
poverty reduction
Cities on the globe
0.12% of the Earth’s surface
50% of the population
75% of energy consumption
and CO2 emissions
Hubs of the global economy:
•
100 largest cities produce 30% of the global GDP
•
Close to 80% of GDP produced in cities
www.iclei.org
Local Action Moves the World
1 UN
200
countries
1 million
local governments
Urbanization
An unbroken
global trend
The 1:100
challenge
„By 2050, within 40 years,
we will have to build once more
the same urban capacity as we have
built over the last 4000 years.“
Rapid Urbanization in Africa
• Africa is the fastest urbanising continent globally
• Urbanization growth rate of 3.4 percent
• Already, almost 40 percent of Africa’s people are living in urban
areas
• It is projected that by 2050, 60 percent of all Africans will be
living in urban areas
• Planning and financing urban development is
therefore not only a priority but presents a major
opportunity to structure growth with high employment
elasticity, secure ecosystem services, deliver
affordable public services and thus catalyse the green
economy.
Re-imagining the African City
• Africa’s urban population will increase from the current 373 million
to 1.2 billion by 2050
• In recent history, urban economic growth in Africa has been
mirrored by increasing urban poverty
• The international community and African Governments need to
consider what actions will be required to ensure effective services
for a potential additional 800 million inhabitants
• Africa and the world community also need to
reconceptualise what is understood when the word
‘city’ as the ‘Western City’ is now no longer the only
legitimate template for defining our cities
• Africa needs to “re-imagine cities” – creating a new
paradigm for the modern African urbanism.
•
The role of local governments in the
green economy(1)
• Local governments as actors
• Steering municipal investments and purchasing power to influence
the market.
• Setting framework conditions for investments
• Incentives and finance
• Informing private behaviour
• Driving local innovation
• Scaling Up
•
The role of local governments in the
green economy(2)
• Local governments are important agents of implementation on the
ground at the interface between people and the demand for, and
management of, environmental resources.
• A dimension of global economic growth that has been overlooked for
too long is that further economic growth in both developed and
developing nations is and will be concentrated in their cities.
• It is essential that agreements emerging out of Rio+20 acknowledge
the role of local government and create the necessary local
sustainable development financing mechanisms to support urban
green growth.
3. Recommendations on Institutional and
Strategic Frameworks (1)
We support the strengthening of international institutions through the
establishment of:
• An Intergovernmental Panel on Sustainable Development to
ensure an appropriate policy-science interface;
• UN Specialised Agency for Environment to strengthen the
environmental pillar of SD;
• A Council for Sustainable Development (similar to the Human
Rights Council) which reports directly to the UN General Assembly
and enables the highest possible level of institutional integration
in the UN system.
• A new comprehensive global indicator for sustainable growth that
incorporates economic, social and environmental dimensions.
• Transformation of the UN system to formally recognize local and
sub national governments as key actors in the future transformed
UN institutions for sustainable development.
3. Recommendations on Institutional and
Strategic Frameworks (2)
Strengthening of African Regional institutions, including:
• UNECA and its integrating role for sustainable development
• The African Union’s sustainable development programmes
through the AUC and NEPAD
• Further development of the African Peer Review Mechanism to
include all of the dimensions of sustainable development.
Strengthening of national institutions, specifically:
• The revitalisation of national Commissions on Sustainable
Development and their appropriate positioning within national
planning frameworks to accord the appropriate level of integration
required for all dimensions of sustainable development.
4. Engaging relevant actors (1)
•
4. Engaging relevant actors (2)
We believe that:
• to “achieve international co-operation in solving international problems
of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character” (Article 1.3
of the UN Charter), the UN needs to move -in its functionality- beyond
the definition of “United Nations” and to becoming the “United Actors”.
• The transformation of the Major Groups system and the formal
recognition of Local Government Organisations (LGOs) with full
participation rights in the UNCSD dialogues and recognised as “actors”.
• Collectively, local governments can result in the necessary global
impact for sustainable development.
•
Let us be bold and make a
difference on the ground
where people experience
directly our collective success
or failure of delivering on the
mandates of sustainable
development in honour of
Professor Wangari Maathai:
“It is the little things citizens
do. That's what will make the
difference”.
Thank you