SDG Cities Certification's 1st hearing took place in Kronberg, Germany
On 7 November 2023, the first hearing for the test phase of the SDG city certification took place at the Kronberg Academy in Germany. The...
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7 November 2023 Kronberg, Germany
SDG Cities Certification 1st hearing took place in Kronberg
On 7 November 2023, the first hearing for the test phase of the SDG city certification took place at the Kronberg Academy in Germany. The second hearing will take place in early December in Dubai during the COP and the final session will take place during next year's SDG Lab in Davos from 14 to 18 January 2024.
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As the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reached its half term, the UN recognises that the world is far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – some targets have even regressed. During the SDG Lab hosted in Davos early this year in Davos the teams from UNASDG, UNGSII and UN Habitat draftet a proposal underlining the key role Cities play.To accelerate the achievement of SDGs, they need inclusive, evidence based planning, accountable governance with effective equitable service delivery, and access to finance.
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The 36 member states, forming the UN Habitat Executive Board, accepted the design developed in Davos and gave green light to move forward and test the concept together with the experts from Deloitte working towards something like a “SDG Cities Certification”. This guides and recognizes effective processes to accelerate SDGs in cities as well as impact, but must answer the following questions:
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a) Does SDG assurance increase opportunities for cities to access finance for sustainable development priorities?
b) Can this be undertaken beyond the 10 test countries, like in Brazil with its 5000 communities?
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UNGSII, UN Habitat and UNASDG invited now experts as well as city adminitrations to discuss the design during the first hearing at the Kronberg Academy Nov 7 2023 in Germany.
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The second hearing will take place early december in Dubai during COP and the closing session will be during next years SDG Lab in Davos Jan 14-18.
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The overall design will then be tested in 20 countries within 80 cities in total with 4 size levels: up to 100.000 inhabitants, up to 250.000, 500.000 and 1 Mio. Results will be shared December 2024.
NEXT UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE COP28 IN DUBAI
30 NOVEMBER - 12 DECEMBER 2023
United Nations
Habitat Assembly
Achieving SDGs in times of global crises
About the 2nd Session UN-Habitat Assembly
The second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly was held from 5 to 9 June 2023 in Nairobi. Kenya. The theme of the session was “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises.”
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As the governance body of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Habitat Assembly convenes every four years. It is the highest global decision-making body on sustainable urbanization and human settlements.
The 193 UN Member States cast the votes, while participants include non-Member States, other UN bodies and specialized agencies, as well as intergovernmental organizations, civil society, private sector, academia and research institutions, women, youth and children, and grassroots organizations.
Thematic debates and discussions during the Assembly were focused on the following topics:
Universal access to affordable housing: Member States are encouraged to explore mechanisms to achieve the universal right to adequate housing and move towards removing existing barriers to affordable housing.
Urban climate action: to achieve the global commitment to stay within 1.5ËšC limit on rising temperatures by 2030, Member States are encouraged to explore realistic urban pathways for climate action.
Urban crises recovery: current crises are increasingly more urban, with cities very often serving as the main places of arrival for displaced people. Member States are encouraged to empower cities to respond to urban crises and support national recovery efforts.
Localization of the SDGs: the Assembly will look at local actions needed to advance the implementation of SDGs to meet the 2030 Development Agenda targets. Member States will also be invited to explore financial mechanisms to ensure resources are directed toward urban development and reach local levels.
Prosperity and local finance: to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, respond to urban crises, advance urban climate action, and ensure adequate and affordable housing for all, cities need policies and fiscal resources. Member States are invited to explore policies and market mechanisms to ensure financial flows directed towards urban development and reach local levels.
UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE COP27 IN SHARM EL SHEYKH
THE UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN SHARM -EL-SHEYKH TAKES PLACE FROM NOVEMBER 06-18. IT IS THE 27th UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE.THE UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN SHARM EL SHEYKH 2022 - INTERNATIONALLY COP 27 (UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, 27TH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES - COP27, CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES) - IS THE 27TH UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE. ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED AS THE UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE 2021, THE MEETING WAS POSTPONED TO NOVEMBER 6-18, 2022, DUE TO THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC. IN JANUARY 2022, EGYPT'S FOREIGN MINISTER SAMIH SHUKRI WAS APPOINTED CHAIRMAN. UNASDG PURSUES THE GOALS OF THE CLIMATE AGREEMENT AND SUPPORTS COUNTRIES IN IMPLEMENTING THEM WORLDWIDE.
World Urban Forum
UNASDG LAUNCHED THE CITYGUARD PROGRAM AT THE WORLD URBAN FORUM (WUF11) AS A SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE GUIDELINE FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT. THE UNASDG SECURITY COUNCIL AND THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECT PARTNERS WILL WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER ON FINALIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION IN THE CITIES.
THE 11TH SESSION OF THE WORLD URBAN FORUM IN CATTOWITZ, POLAND FROM 26-30 JUNE 2022.
The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization. WUF11 was helt in the Polish city of Katowice from 26-30 June 2022.
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Katowice has been well prepared to host the WUF11 with a state-of-the-art congress centre, well-developed hotel facilities and transport network to welcome all the participants in June 2022. Katowice is a city of over 2 million people in the south of Poland. It is one of the biggest business centres in the country with several renowned academic, medical and cultural institutions.
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It was a very successful event with many interesting approaches. UNASDG launched CITYGUARD® - the Urban Development Safety and Compliance Program at the World Urban Forum 11 in Cattowitz.
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We also welcomed our appreciated members from Huong Sen Group JSC (HSG) from Thai Bin City in Vietnam. They presented their mega project "Star City" at the WUF. HSG plans to start the project already in 2023 and it is planned to involve UNASDG with the CITYGUARD® - program from the beginning. As we could see, there is still a lot of work waiting for our friends.