2013 Annual Report
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ICLEI East Asia Secretariat Annual Report 2012-2013 CONTENT 1 GREETINGS 2 PROFILE 3 GOVERNANCE 4 STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT 6 PROGRAMS & PROJECTS 8 CAPACITY BUILDING 9 MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS 10 OUR STAFF CONTENT GREETINGS Sustainability is our mission, impact is our goal. On behalf of the East Asia Secretariat of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, our Members and country offices in the region, I am pleased to extend my best wishes to you, your city or organization for a prosperous 2014. Reviewing the past year, I am proud that the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat has grown to make its mark in the region and that we have built a capable and multi-national team since its establishment in October 2012. Hosted generously by Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Secretariat sits at the heart of the Korean capital city and maintains close cooperation with our country offices in Suwon (Korea) and Tokyo (Japan), as well as our Capacity Center in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. In 2013, while supporting Members in the region to implement local climate actions to advance urban sustainability, the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat also worked to build and extend our presence in China. As Chinese cities rise to become the leading power of the world’s economy, we would also like to see these cities championing urban sustainability. In order to support cities in the region, East Asian programs including Energy-safe Cities East Asia and Green Procurement have been designed and developed. Dynamic platforms such as the ICLEI Talk4Action series and the East Asia Low-carbon Cities Forum were organized to provide opportunities for East Asian cities to exchange their experience and knowledge. Thanks to the guidance of our Chinese Regional Executive Committee Member, Prof. Pan Jiahua of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the past year, the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat was able to extend its network and partnership with more Chinese governmental and non-governmental organizations. In 2014, we expect to join hands with more Chinese cities, and we look forward to contributing as an international strategic partner to key forums on eco-civilization and eco-cities. We are certainly coming closer to establishing the first office in China. I trust that the new year will bring exciting opportunities for advancing urban sustainability in the East Asia region and elsewhere. ICLEI is known as a thought and theme leader, a promoter of participatory governance, a pioneer of solutions, a driver and connector. With such knowledge and experience, as well as our connections on the ground, we will develop and implement innovative projects tailored to the needs and conditions of East Asian cities to advance sustainability. We will continue to serve as a dynamic platform for exchange and advocate for cities’ greater role in climate actions at the global level. We thank you for your support for the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat, and look forward to working together with you. Konrad Otto-Zimmermann Founding Director, ICLEI East Asia Secretariat 1 PROFILE ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is the world’s leading association of cities and local governments dedicated to sustainable development. ICLEI is a powerful movement of 12 mega- cities, 100 super-cities and urban regions, 450 large cites as well as 450 small and medium-sized cities and towns in 86 countries. ICLEI East Asia Secretariat The ICLEI East Asia Secretariat (EAS) is the newest regional secretariat of ICLEI established in October 2012. Our mission is to coordinate and accelerate local climate actions in over 70 Member Cities in the East Asia region, which comprises of China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea. Membership ICLEI’s Membership in the East Asia region consists of 78 local governments, including 1 from China, 11 from Chinese Taipei, 21 from Japan and 45 from South Korea. In 2014, we expect to welcome new Members from Mongolia as the applications of two Mongolian cities are under process. Furthermore we expect more Chinese cities to participate in ICLEI. In 2013, ICLEI Members were invited to the regional platforms organized by EAS, where they had the opportunities to showcase their achievements and learn from the experience of cities across the region. These regional platforms include: • Three Talk4Action seminars featuring the themes of EcoMobility, Energy-safe Cities and Green Public Procurement • An East Asia Low-carbon Cities Forum to exchange experience and knowledge in low-carbon cities transformation in the East Asia region To promote the best practice of East Asian Member cities in the global arena, EAS produced a case study on Seoul City’s “One Less Nuclear Power Plant” initiative as part of ICLEI’s global Case Studies series. China Nagoya City City of Suncheon ICLEI’s 78 Member Cities in the East Asia region include: City of Shenyang Okayama City City of Suwon Saitama City City of Wonju Chinese Taipei Sapporo City City of Yeosu Chia-Yi County Sendai City City of Yongju Chiayi City Sumida City Daegu Metropolitan City City of Tainan Tokyo Metropolitan Damyang County Hsinchu City Government Gangneung City Kaohsiung City Yamanashi Prefecture Gangwon-do New Taipei City Provincial Government Ping Tung County South Korea Gapyeong County China Taichung City Busan Metropolitan City Geumsan County Taipei City Cheongju City Korea Gwangju Metropolitan City Taoyuan County Chungcheongnam-do Gyeonggi-do Provincial Yilan County Provincial Government Japan Government Yunlin County City of Ansan Gyeongsangnam-do City of Anyang Provincial Government Chinese Taipei Japan City of Boryeong Hadong County Aichi Prefecture City of Bucheon Hoengseong County Council of Wards City of Buyeo Incheon Metropolitan City in Tokyo City of Changwon Jeongseon County Fujisawa City City of Cheongyang Osan City Government Hiroshima City City of Gimpo Pyeongchang County Iida City City of Gumi Seodaemungu Local Itabashi City City of Gwacheon Government Kanagawa Prefecture City of Gyeryong Seoul Metropolitan City Kawasaki City City of Jeju Songpa- gu District Kitakyushu City City of Jeonju SungBook-gu District Kobe City City of Namyangju Taean County Government Kumamoto City City of Seocheon Ulsan Metropolitan City Kyoto City City of Seogwipo Musashino City 2 City of Seongnam GOVERNANCE The constituency of ICLEI is formed from the local governments which are its Members. These Members elect their Regional Executive Committees (RexCom), which make up the ICLEI Council. The ICLEI Council has the power to elect the Global Executive Committee, revise the ICLEI Charter and establish the overall policy direction for the organization.GOVERNANCE Global Governance ICLEI Members are represented by the Global Executive Members Committee (GexCom) at the global level. It is composed of nine regional representatives and up to six appointed members, and is GexCom chaired by the President. Council East Asia Regional Executive Committee RexCom The ICLEI Regional Executive Committee for East Asia serves as the regional representation and policy-making body of ICLEI Members in the East Asia region. It is composed of fi ve representative members and two advisors. In September 2013 during the EcoMobility World Festival held in Suwon, South Korea, the second RexCom meeting was convened. All offi ces in the region attended and reported their programs and activities in development. The East Asia Secretariat presented the 2014 Work Plan, which includes Energy-safe Cities program, Green Procurement Symposium in China, survey on resilience of East Asian cities and cooperation with Resilient Cities 2014 global forum on urban resilience and cities adaptation to climate change. A report on ICLEI activities and programs in the region has been delivered to the RexCom members and advisors in May and October. The Regional Executive Committee for East Asia is composed of fi ve representative members and two advisors: Representative members: Advisory, non-voting members on ex-offi cio: Daisaku Kadokawa Kim, Sang-bum Liu, Shyh-fang Prof. Pan Jiahua Yeom, Tae-Young Prof. Hironori Kim, Sun-woo Hamanaka Mayor, Vice Mayor, Vice Mayor, Executive Director, Mayor, Vice Governor for Kyoto City, Japan City of Seoul, Kaohsiung City, Research Centre Suwon City, Chairman, Economic & South Korea Chinese Taipei for Sustainable South Korea ICLEI Japan Offi ce Environment of Chair, Development, Jeju Province, ICLEI East Asia Chinese Academy South Korea Regional Executive of Social Sciences, Committee Beijing, China 3 STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT The ICLEI East Asia Secretariat promotes global sustainability by building membership and supporting cities in the region to achieve tangible improvements in urban sustainability through programs and projects, partnership, and capacity building. Regional development East Asian programs including Energy-safe Cities Program and Green Procurement Program have been designed and developed to support cities in the region. While the past year has been dedicated to elaborate program concepts and elements tailored to East Asian cities, we expect to kick off these programs in 2014 in China and Korea with project funding mobilized from various sources. Partnerships To explore new opportunities for cooperation and drive synergies, EAS seeks to strengthen long-standing ties and build up partnerships with key organizations and ICLEI Member Cities. Our cooperation partners include: • Chinese Sister Cities of ICLEI Korean Member cities • CITYNET • Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) • Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) • United Nations Economic