ICLEI, C40, World Bank, USGBC, and others launch global initiative on urban resilience at Rio+20

Source(s): ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability

Rio de Janeiro — ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability joined today with six major organizations at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to announce the Global Initiative on Urban Resilience (GIUR), an effort designed to spur building and infrastructure development, create new investment opportunities and foster community action around the world. Partner organizations include the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the World Bank, the Eye on Earth Summit, the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies Program on Energy, Resources, and the Environment and the Earth Council Alliance of Rio de Janeiro.

“Building more resilient communities and regions in the United States and around the world is critical for our future,” said Michael Schmitz, Executive Director of ICLEI USA. “Over the past several years our communities have endured economic recession, rising energy costs, and extreme weather events that have cost us billions. We need to prepare for these ongoing challenges and build communities that can bounce back and remain strong. This initiative will help mobilize the leadership and innovation of local governments and key stakeholders to achieve that goal.”

The GIUR aims to create solutions by focusing on urban geographies, identifying the synergies between city governments, non- governmental organizations, financial institutions and different business sectors. The report of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, “Resilient People --- Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing,” outlines a compelling vision, including 56 specific recommendations as well as a call to action.

“Mayors know the supposed choice between saving money and spending it on climate action is a false one. Mayors know climate change puts their cities at particularly great risk, but they also know there is economic opportunity for cities in the response to climate change. This initiative represents an opportunity for C40 to identify partnerships and resources that can turn plans for adaptation investment into action,” said Jay Carson, executive director of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative.

The GIUR will focus on eight key areas, but will refine its reach as innovative ideas emerge. These goals of the GIUR are identified as: convene a core group of organizations that will coordinate stakeholders to provide global reach and dimension to the initiative; encourage a resiliency dimension to the green building movement; take a whole-of-urban government approach; develop new incentives for budget action on resilience by local governments around the world; build awareness of resilience as an indispensable precondition to sustainable development; develop harmonized metrics for success to better achieve milestones and outcomes; integrate geographic information systems and geospatial infrastructure into planning and budget decisions; and integrate systems for natural capital accounting, avoiding losses and reducing costs associated with shocks and disasters.

Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Secretary General of ICLEI Global, representing an association of over 1,220 local government members, observed that “urban resilience must apply not only to climate change, but to all other shocks and stresses that affect community systems.”

“Building resilient communities worldwide requires innovation and new partnerships, bringing big money to portfolios of green economy projects," noted Dr. David Jhirad, director of the Energy, Resources, and Environment Program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and HRH Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Professor in Energy and Environmental Policy.

“Disaster management as well as community sustainability and resiliency are both critical issues that demand our focus. On behalf of Eye on Earth Partners, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, we see the pivotal importance and urgent necessity of launching the Global Initiative on Urban Resilience,” said Cathrine Armour, programme manager of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative.

“We have to change the way we think about infrastructure, agriculture, transportation, water, energy, how communities become resilient and what kind of information we share. We have to help people make infrastructure decisions that will prove resilient far into the future,” said Rachel Kyte, vice president for sustainable development of the World Bank.
###

Explore further

Share this

Please note: Content is displayed as last posted by a PreventionWeb community member or editor. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of UNDRR, PreventionWeb, or its sponsors. See our terms of use

Is this page useful?

Yes No Report an issue on this page

Thank you. If you have 2 minutes, we would benefit from additional feedback (link opens in a new window).