The Oecdurban Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers
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THE OECD URBAN ROUNDTABLE OF MAYORS AND MINISTERS What is the OECD Urban Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers? The OECD Urban Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers provides the preeminent forum to develop inter- governmental approaches for stronger, more effective urban policy. With participation from mayors, national ministers, former heads of state, and civil society, the Roundtable acknowledges the interdependence among urban policy actors and the metropolitan implications of policies in areas such as transportation, education, and environment. The Roundtable attracts a wide variety of participants, including National Ministers, business leaders, mayors and regional leaders and civil society groups. Representatives have participated from such institutions as the European Commission, ICLEI, the Inter-American Development Bank, United Cities and Local Governments, UCLA, the World Bank, UN-HABITAT, and the Clinton Climate Initiative. Mayors and regional leaders from such cities as Bogotá, Casablanca, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Jakarta, Lima, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Melbourne, Montevideo, Moscow, Paris, Rome, São Paulo, Sarajevo, San Francisco, Singapore, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Tirana, Toronto, Warsaw, and Yokohama have attended, among others. Though the Roundtable was established in 2007, it builds upon a long tradition of policy dialogue and publications on urban issues at the OECD. Since 1979, OECD Member countries have shared their experiences and identified best practices in the development of urban areas across such issues as economic competitiveness, urban governance, local finance, infrastructure, climate change, social cohesion, immigrant integration and distressed areas (www.oecd.org/gov/cities). The Roundtable benefits from the OECD’s extensive experience in helping national governments design urban development policies that balance economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. OECD Urban Roundtable Themes “Cities and Green Growth” Roundtable Discussion—Paris, May 2010 Against the backdrop of the most severe financial, economic and environmental crises in decades, the 2010 Urban Roundtable provides a space to help shape national and local green growth policy priorities worldwide. Co- organized with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership and the Club of Madrid, the Paris meetings will discuss how the pursuit of green growth can help meet objectives for job creation and the reduction of environmental impact. Specific policies to be discussed include: the support of green R&D, “compact city” initiatives, smart grids, urban sustainability monitoring, local cap-and-trade systems, and greening public investment in infrastructure, building, transport, communications, and utilities. Participants in the forum will reflect on the types of cooperative agreements between national and subnational governments which could drive green growth. For instance, they will share best practices and identify knowledge gaps in policy approaches to green job creation and financing green development. This will feed into the discussion of the OECD’s Green Growth Strategy, which was mandated by Ministers of 34 countries in June 2009. The OECD is currently developing this strategy to identify policies and approaches that can shift production and consumption towards a clean, low-carbon and sustainable economy (www.oecd.org/urban/2010roundtable). “Competitive Cities and Climate Change” Roundtable Discussion–Milan, October 2008 The Milan Roundtable assessed the key institutional challenges to multi-level governance on climate change, and how local and national governments and other stakeholders could work together most effectively to implement climate change policy actions at the city level (www.oecd.org/gov/urbandevelopment/milanconference). “Rethinking the Urban Policy Agenda” Roundtable Discussion–Madrid, March 2007 The Madrid Roundtable helped to set the basis of a new international policy dialogue among city mayors and national government representatives, who examined the future of urban policy in the context of globalisation and the growing challenges for cities (www.oecd.org/gov/urbandevelopment/madridconference). [email protected] Organisations and partners of the 2010 OECD Urban Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of 31 countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free-market economy. The OECD provides the preeminent policy forum where governments compare policy experiences, identify good practice, and coordinate domestic and international policies. It applies its wealth of information to help governments foster prosperity and fight poverty through economic growth and financial stability. It helps ensure the environmental implications of economic and social development are taken into account. Mutual examination by governments plays a pivotal role at the OECD, which facilitates a multilateral review process through which the performance of individual countries is monitored by their peers. Discussions at the OECD level sometimes evolve into negotiations where OECD countries agree on rules of the game for international co-operation which can culminate in formal agreements by countries, for example on combating bribery or the regulation of capital movements. In recent years, the organization has provided a forum for countries to discuss numerous key issues relevant to international negotiations on climate change (e.g. emissions trading schemes, flexibility mechanisms, deforestation incentives, technology diffusion), and a wide range of climate change-related initiatives are underway (www.oecd.org). Club of Madrid The Club of Madrid has been a major partner of the OECD Urban Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers since its inception. The Club of Madrid promotes “Leadership for Democracy that Delivers”. It is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democratic values and leadership around the world to meet political challenges at the local, national, regional and global level. Drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members – more than 70 democratic former heads of state and government from 50 countries– and in partnership with organizations, governments and individuals that share its goals, the Club of Madrid addresses issues of global concern and provides peer-to-peer counsel, strategic support and technical advice to leaders and institutions working to further democratic development. Former heads of state and government members of the Club of Madrid who have participated in the OECD Urban Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers include: Henrique Cardoso, Former President of Brazil; Kim Campbell, Former Prime Minister of Canada; Ricardo Lagos, Former President of Chile; Esko Aho, Former Prime Minister of Finland; Lionel Jospin, Former Prime Minister of France; Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland; Lee Hong-Koo, Former Prime Minister of Korea; Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Former President of Mozambique and the African Union; and Petre Roman, Former Prime Minister of Romania (www.clubmadrid.org). C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group The C40 is a major partner of the OECD Urban Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers for the 3rd Annual Roundtable on Cities and Green Growth. The C40 is a group of the world's largest cities committed to taking action on climate change. Established in October 2005 by representatives of leading world cities, out of the recognition of the central role cities have to play in tackling climate change, the C40 has partnered with the Clinton Climate Initiative since August 2006. The 40 participating cities are: Addis Ababa, Athens, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Caracas, Chicago, Delhi, Dhaka, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Houston, Istanbul, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lagos, Lima, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Toronto, Tokyo, and Warsaw. The 19 affiliate cities are: Amsterdam, Austin, Barcelona, Basel, Changwon, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Heidelberg, Ho Chi Minh City, Milan, New Orleans, Portland, Rotterdam, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle, Stockholm, and Yokohama (www.c40cities.org). [email protected] .