Cities Programme News
22 July 2010
The July Newsletter provides a summary of the most recent activities of the International Secretariat and the Cities Programme.
Featured items include:
- Global Compact Leaders Summit, New York
- Agreement between UNGCCP and GRI
- Full list of Signatory Cities
- Collaborating Cities and Global Advisors
- City in Spotlight
Please contact Ms Stephanie McCarthy, Manager, Global Compact Cities Programme via email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), to discuss any aspect further.
Download the July 2010 newsletter (34kb PDF)
20 July 2010
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government launches the State of Australian Cities 2010 report.
The report provides a national snapshot of the 17 Australian cities with populations over 100,000 at the 2006 Census. It also highlights emerging trends and issues to promote discussion and debate on managing growth and change in our urban centres.
The State of Australian Cities 2010 report progresses the cities agenda at the national level, setting the context and scope for further involvement by the Australian Government in urban policy and planning. The next stage will involve the development of a national cities strategy that outlines the Australian Government’s approach to achieving more productive, liveable and sustainable cities in the future.
A copy of the full report is available here: State of Australian Cities 2010 (.pdf)
10 June 2010
On 24 April, 2010, Mr Georg Kell, Executive Director of the Global Compact extended the Cities Programme to all cities engaged in the UN Global Compact in an effort to strengthen their role in advancing the Ten Principles. The Signaotry Cities will be administered by the International Secretariat based at the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, who provides unique expertise and guidance to participating cities.
Kell is confident that this decision will assist Signatory Cities find increased opportunities to advance the Ten Principles and that these cities will give consideration to successive levels of engagement as a Reporting or Innovating city. The Office of Global Compact will continue to play a support role and help these cities to advance collaborative and innovative approaches to improving the quality of urban life.
As of 1 June, the confirmed Signatory Cities are:
- Governo do Municipio de Ortigueira, Estado do Parana, Brasil
- Ville De Bois-Des-Filion, Canada
- Municipalidad de Los Angeles, Chile
- Changsha City, China
- Xiangtan City, China
- Yiyang City, China
- Zhuzhou City, China
- Alcaldia Municipal de Piedecuesta, Columbia
- City of Bonn, Germany
- City of Nuremberg, Germany
- Municipality of Budapest, Hungary
- Kawasaki City Government, Japan
- Municipality of Greater Amman, Jordan
- Gumi City, Korea
- City of Veracruz, Mexico
- Gobierno del Estado de Sonora, Mexico
- Gobierno del Estado de Yucatan, Mexico
- Municipalidad Distrital de Santiago de Surco, Peru
- Municipality of Wroclaw, Poland
- The Municipality of Vrbas, Serbia
- City of Kalmar, Sweden
- Municipality of Besiktas, Turkey
- Nilufer Municipality, Turkey
- Bath and North East Somerset Council, United Kingdom
- City of Cleveland, United States of America
28 May 2010
Sydney, Australia
On Friday 4 June in Sydney, Australia, Ms Caroline Bayliss (Deputy Director) and Ms Stephanie McCarthy (Manager) will attend the inaugural meeting of the Global Compact Network Australia (GCNA). Accenture will be host of the forum, where Mr Jack Percy, Managing Director Australia will welcome signatories.
This business led forum will discuss the Global Compact, corporate citizenship and responsible investment in the Australian business context and the role of business and government leadership in driving responsible practice and sustainable development nationally, regionally and internationally.
Appointment of members of the Steering Committee of the GCNA and the Network Contact Point will also be voted and confirmed.
28 May 2010
On 10th of May in Chicago, the Global Compact along with Price Waterhouse Coopers hosted its first working symposium of 2010, ‘Business and Sustainable Cities.’ Mr Dean Amhaus, Executive Director of the Milwaukee 7 Water Council kindly presented on behalf of the International Secretariat and informed participants of the Cities Programme and the benefits that it provides city leaders. Mr Amhaus, in his role as In Country Convenor, provided a first hand account of his experience with the Cities Programme and demonstrated how it has helped foster political, private and community support on the issue of water management in the Milwaukee and wider region.
The event drew more than 75 senior representatives from the public sector, private sector, civil society, and academia. U.S. cities represented at the symposium included Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, New Orleans and San Francisco.
“This conference provided an opportunity for companies, public authorities, and other interests to discuss collaboration with respect to making cities and towns more sustainable in economic, environmental, and social terms”, said Gavin Power, Deputy Director of the UN Global Compact. “With more than half of humanity living in urban centres, and this trend expected to grow, the ways in which cities – in partnership with others – manage urban planning will be critically important in the coming years and decades”.
Key observations and perspectives offered at the conference included:
- Urban sustainability should include a number of elements touching on economic, environmental, social, and cultural issues and priorities;
- Leading cities are moving from a narrow compliance orientation with respect to the business community and towards engaging with private enterprise via partnerships and other forms of collaboration;
- The involvement of civil society organizations is important vis-a-vis public-private initiatives;
- Both local government and companies should build greater internal capacities in order to effectively work with one another.
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