Cities Alliance Consultative Group Welcomes Medium Term Strategy 2008-2010

The highlight of the Cities Alliance Consultative Group meetings 8-9 November 2007 was discussion of the Medium Term Strategy 2008-2010 (MTS), which was produced by the Secretariat in response to the second Independent Evaluation of the Cities Alliance (Universalia 2006). Responding to a series of challenges, the MTS contains a number of features designed to improve the role of the Cities Alliance as a learning alliance, and greatly strengthen knowledge management within the organisation, in particular, monitoring and evaluation. The MTS stresses the importance of working through the members of the Cities Alliance, and the importance of the coalition.

Amongst the more significant changes introduced in the Medium Term Strategy were a move to client execution, wherever possible, and a greater emphasis on enhancing the Alliance’s ability to provide longer-term, programmatic support to cities and/or countries. Overall, the strategy was warmly endorsed by the Consultative Group. However, the Secretariat agreed to clarify a number of mechanisms, ensure a more balanced focus on least developed countries (LDCs), and raise the profile of gender in its work.

The Consultative Group also took a number of important decisions relating to the governance of the Cities Alliance. The Steering Committee was expanded and converted into an Executive Committee with clearly defined functions. United Cities and Local Governments will chair the Executive Committee for the period of the MTS, while a final decision on the role and composition of the Policy Advisory Board (PAB) will be considered at a joint meeting of the Executive Committee and PAB, which will convene in Trondheim, Norway, 10-11 April 2008.

Cities Alliance Hosts International Policy Dialogue on Slum Upgrading in São Paulo, 10-14 March 2008

From 10-14 March 2008, the City of São Paulo, Brazil will share its urban upgrading experiences with five other mega-cities—Cairo, Egypt; Lagos, Nigeria; Mumbai, India; Manila, Philippines; and Ekurhuleni, South Africa—in a learning event for high-level policy makers and practitioners. Representatives of other cities with Cities Alliance-supported activities have been invited as observers.

São Paulo is sharing its experiences because the challenges the city has been addressing over the past few years reflect issues facing mega-cities worldwide. São Paulo’s innovative and award-winning Barrio Legal programme united municipal agencies, public utilities, NGOs and civil society in introducing an integrated housing and upgrading strategy to extend secure tenure and access to urban services to slum dwellers. São Paulo is currently in the process of finalising a new informal settlement mapping and priority-setting system which will feed their new Social Housing Plan. For the first time, the Municipal Secretariat of Housing and Urban Development (SEHAB) is able to design its policies and programmes on the basis of actual demand, leading to a new strategic plan which will overhaul many overlapping programmes, as well as producing a revamped institutional framework to reflect the new priorities. This creates a very strong base for a truly city-wide slum upgrading strategy.

The week of events and discussions will focus on São Paulo’s experience with city-wide upgrading, urban policy in a mega-city context, and presentations of city challenges that invite opportunities for feedback from other cities.

Cities Alliance members the World Bank and Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been most active in Alliance activities in Brazil.

Mayors of New York City and Amman, Jordan Address Urban Issues at World Bank Event

Urban development was discussed during several sessions of a World Bank forum on sustainable development, 19-22 February 2008. High-level speakers from cities and development institutions addressed issues including governance, climate change, and inequality. The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, spoke on Building a Better City: New York’s Experience in Urban Transformation during a session on Metropolitan Governance. He outlined four values that transformed New York City: 1) harmonising the forces of immigration and globalisation; 2) tapping the power of innovation; 3) instituting rigorous and accountable governance; and 4) having the independence to take on entrenched interests when they stand in the way of progress.

The Honorable Omar Maani, Mayor of Amman, Jordan participated in a panel on the Dynamics of Urbanisation with Cities Alliance Manager William Cobbett, and senior World Bank staff. Mayor Maani highlighted the challenges of leading a city that has grown from 3,000 to 3 million people over the past decades, in part due to the successful integration of refugees who have fled neighbouring countries. He emphasised that for urban development to succeed, all stakeholders should be included, leadership must be strong, and a city’s historic soul must be retained.

Mayors Assume Leading Role in Combating Climate Change
Two recent international conferences have underscored the importance of mayors in taking a leading role in tackling climate change. Since half of the world’s population live in cities—and the figure is rising—it is critical to have local leaders fully engaged in, and in some places leading, the climate change agenda.

Mayors at the 2nd World Congress of United Cities and Local Governments in October 2007 issued the Jeju Declaration that affirmed a commitment to placing the challenges of global warming and environmental protection high on local authority agendas. This was followed up at the December 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia where the World Mayors and Local Government Climate Protection Agreement was launched.

This agreement builds upon existing commitments of local government leaders and their associations, including the ICLEI Cities for Climate Protection™ Campaign, the World Mayors Council on Climate Change, the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, the C40 Climate Leadership Group, and the Jeju Declaration mentioned above. By signing on to the agreement, signatories accept the challenge put forth by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to affect immediate and deep reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement contains six points around which mayors and local leaders should take action and advocate for participation at the national and international level.

On 11 December 2007, during the Local Government Climate Sessions of the Climate Change Conference, the report "Liveable Cities: The Benefits of Urban Environmental Planning", was launched. “Liveable Cities” is a joint publication of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Cities Alliance, and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. The report showcases 12 cities around the world that have integrated environmental concerns into planning processes, and it explores options for sustainable urban environmental planning ranging from practical tools and comprehensive policies to innovative market mechanisms.

The report is available on the UNEP and Cities Alliance Web sites.

Medcities General Assembly 2008 Bolsters CDS Restart in Northern Lebanon

An encouraging development and sign of hope in a war-torn region is the reopening of the city development strategy (CDS) in northern Lebanon for the Al Fayhaa Union of Municipalities that link three cities—Tripoli, El Mina and Beddaway. The Governor of North Lebanon, Mr. Nassif Kalouch, together with the chairman of the Union and the Mayor of Tripoli, Rachid Jamali, presided over the opening ceremonies and the launch that included a meeting of the CDS Committee, followed by a townhall meeting for local stakeholders, international partners, and the press. In a show of support in connection with the reopening of the CDS, Medcities hosted its General Assembly 2008 in Tripoli, Lebanon from 29 January to 1 February. Medcities is a network of Mediterranean coastal cities created in Barcelona in November 1991 at the initiative of the Mediterranean Environmental Technical Assistance Program (METAP). The goal of Medcities is to  strengthen the  environmental  and  sustainable  development ma-

View of Tripoli, Lebanon

New Thinking on Slums discussed on National Public Radio (USA)

Cities Alliance members and partners discussed changes in assumptions about urban slums, now home to one billion people worldwide, on National Public Radio’s Kojo Nnamdi show, 22 January 2008.

Rose Seisie Molokoane, Founder, South African Homeless People's Federation, and founder and coordinator of Slum Dwellers International (SDI); and Maria Sonia Vicenta Fadrigo, Regional Director, Homeless People's Federation Philippines (HPFP) participated.

Cities Alliance Updates Grant Application Form and Guidelines

The updated Application Form and Guidelines for Cities Alliance grants are now available on the Alliance Web site. The streamlined form is more user-friendly, and the enhanced guidelines provide greater direction and clarity to applicants in formulating proposals. Terms of reference for grant recipient organisations and sponsors are now included. Revisions to the form and guidelines were discussed and approved at the Consultative Group meetings in November 2007.