2014 Activities of
METROPOLIS January ‐ December 2014 Report
Annual
This report is a summary of the quarterly reports that have been sent to all members in 2014.
Activity Report | January to December 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
January - March 2014 Quarter...... page 3
April - July 2014 Quarter ...... page 16
August- December 2014 Quarter……………………… ……………. page 34
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Annual Activity Report 2014 METROPOLIS
JANUARY – MARCH 2014
1.STRATEGIC MEETING – 2015‐2017 ACTION PLAN
On February 3rd and 5th, representatives of METROPOLIS member cities, partners and the Secretariat General staff were gathered in the Province of Barcelona to discuss the next action plan of the association, which will be implemented from 2015 to 2017.
The outcome of the three‐day meeting was the definition of the main priorities of METROPOLIS in the coming years: strengthen and develop new METROPOLIS initiatives; establish an agenda with thematic areas of action; increase the number of members and their engagement in the association; reinforce the exchange between cities so that experiences are transferable; foster the METROPOLIS Women network to prioritize gender equality; build the METROPOLIS Youth network; and link METROPOLIS Training to all the activities of the association.
The final action plan for 2015‐2017 shall be finalized by the end of July, and presented to the Board of Directors meeting which will take place next October in Hyderabad, in the framework of the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress.
Video summary Photo Gallery "METROPOLIS For You" interviews
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2. REELECTION OF THE METROPOLIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBERS, PRESIDENT AND TREASURER
We remind all of our members that the period is still open for lodging candidatures to form part of the new Board of Directors, which will be chosen at the upcoming METROPOLIS General Assembly meeting to be held on 10 October 2014. The deadline for sending your candidatures is June 30th, 2014.
All candidates who stand for a position as a member of the Board of Directors may also stand for the position of President and Executive Vice‐President. Additionally, Mr. Jean‐Luc Vanraes (Brussels) accepted the position of ad interim METROPOLIS Treasurer, which means we must open a new call so that two members of the Association can hold the positions of Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer for the 2015‐2017 period.
The positions of the Regional Secretariats are also subject to change. Candidatures for these positions will also be accepted.
Please send candidatures to: [email protected] with cc: [email protected]
3. 11TH METROPOLIS WORLD CONGRESS – HYDERABAD, 7‐10 October 2014
3.1 Preparatory Visit February 2014
From 9 to 11 February a METROPOLIS delegation travelled to Hyderabad (India) to meet again with the leading representatives of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the state of Andhra Pradesh to continue with the preparation of
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the program, the visual image and the logistics of the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress The following themes were consolidated following the meetings: ‐ The visual image of the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress ‐ The conceptual note of the slogan “Cities for All” ‐ The four main subthemes: Urban Equity, Governance, Urban Funding and Urban India ‐ The official presentation with the professional organizer for the Congress ‐ The drafting of a plan to capture private business funding to finance the Congress. ‐ A further visit was made to the headquarters and its facilities, along with the official hotels.
The METROPOLIS delegation also travelled to New Delhi (11 to 13 February) to hold meetings with the key stakeholders in the conceptual preparation of the Congress:
‐ Meeting with the Secretary of the Executive Council of the State of Andhra Pradesh, P.K. Mohanty. The meeting served to present the progress made in organizing the Congress. The delegation also requested support in making the Secretary part of the Congress’s Scientific Committee. ‐ Meeting with the President and Director of India’s National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), Anil Baijal and Jagan Shah, respectively. This meeting consolidated the Institute’s commitment to the Association to provide support with regard to content for the Congress program. ‐ Meeting with the executive council of the Delhi‐Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Council (DMICDC). Council president, Amitabh Kant, presented the project with his executive team. The project anticipates the construction of seven smart cities along the Delhi‐Mumbai Corridor. METROPOLIS was discussing the opportunities for capacity‐building through an exchange between the DMICDC and Association members who participate in the METROPOLIS Training Institute and the METROPOLIS Initiatives.
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‐ Meeting with the French Embassy in India (New Delhi). The METROPOLIS delegation had the opportunity to present the Association’s activities in the world, and in particular to seek collaboration to promote the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress in Hyderabad.
3.2 11th World Congress website now available The General Secretariat has made the website for the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress available to its members and the international community. On the site, the public will find information which will be updated as preparation for the Congress progresses. For the moment you can find:
‐ Information and the Program for “Cities for All” ‐ General information on the host city, Hyderabad, and practical information for getting there (e.g., visa information) Registration is already open. You can register at the following link: http://hydMETROPOLIS2014.org/
Register now to make sure you get your visa on time!
http://www.hyderabad2014.metropolis.org/
4. METROPOLIS TREASURER
METROPOLIS President Jean‐Paul Huchon, Secretary‐General Alain Le Saux, and Head of Finance Montserrat Pallarès, met in Brussels on 22 January 2014 with the Association’s new ad interim treasurer and chairman of the Assembly of the Flemish Community Commission, Jean‐Luc Vanraes, to discuss new areas of action in the period prior to the next METROPOLIS Congress to be held in Hyderabad.
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5. 2014 METROPOLIS AWARDS
The call for the 5th METROPOLIS Award is now open. The award ceremony will take place at the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress to be held in Hyderabad between 7 and
10 October 2014.
Who can enter? Any METROPOLIS member city that is up to date with its annual membership fee and has implemented a project or experience worthy of global recognition for its contribution to improving the quality of life in its city may submit an application.
What type of projects can be entered? The project or experience must be related to improving citizens’ quality of life, especially that of women, young people and people with disabilities. The scope of action will preferably lie in the realm of urban planning, the environment, housing, public transport, safety, economic, social or cultural development. However, consideration will also be given to other projects of public interest undertaken in other fields.
What categories do the METROPOLIS Awards include? Three of the projects submitted will receive a METROPOLIS Award. A further three will receive an honorable mention. For further information on the 5th METROPOLIS Awards, What are the advantages of winning a please contact Ms. Montserrat METROPOLIS Award? Pallarès, The city that wins the first prize will be exempt [email protected] or from paying the annual membership fee in 2015. see: The winning project will be published in full on the http://awards.metropolis.org/ METROPOLIS website, along with a summary of the other projects. Plus, all of the projects will be announced in the Association’s regular publications.
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When can I enter a project? The period for entering projects and experiences opens on 1 January and closes on 30 April 2014.
METROPOLIS has extended* the term for lodging projects of member cities that wish to enter the 5th METROPOLIS Award: Seeking Better Quality of Life for the World's Metropolises, which will take place during the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress in Hyderabad.
At 31 April, the METROPOLIS General Secretariat had already received 40 projects from 31 METROPOLIS member cities from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America.
*delivery time ended at the date of mailing this report
Extension of the term to lodge projects! The new deadline is 30th May 2014.
6. METROPOLIS MEMBERS
METROPOLIS Members
METROPOLIS currently has 136 members.
Situation on monitoring 2014 fees At 31 March 2014, 31 members had paid a total amount of €263,344.
All members who wish to take part in the METROPOLIS General Assembly must be up‐to‐date with their 2013‐2014 membership fees
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7. METROPOLIS JOINS THE CAMPAIGN “WHY THE WORLD NEEDS AN URBAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL” In 2015, the governments of our countries will define a list of 10‐15 goals that will guide sustainable development policies for the next 15 years. METROPOLIS, UCLG, ICLEI, Cities Alliance and UN‐Habitat are calling for the inclusion of a specific goal dedicated to “sustainable urban planning” on the UN post‐2015 development agenda. The United Nations is seeking new development goals and we need to ensure that the role of local government is taken into account on the new development agenda. METROPOLIS is calling on cities to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network entitled Why the World Needs an Urban Sustainable Development Goal. This goal would not only allow cities to shore up their capabilities, but provide them with the means needed to tackle the challenge of sustainable urban development. The challenge refers to the pressing need for economic growth in cities that contribute to improving the quality of the environment and social cohesion. A specifically urban sustainable development goal independent of other ones would aim to: ▪ Educate and focus attention on urgent urban challenges and future opportunities. ▪ Mobilize and empower all urban actors around practical problem solving. ▪ Address the specific challenges of urban poverty and access to infrastructure. ▪ Promote integrated and innovative infrastructure design and service delivery. ▪ Promote land use planning and efficient spatial concentration. ▪ Ensure resilience to climate change and disaster risk reduction. The full document can be read here: Why the World Needs an Urban Sustainable Development Goal .
How to take part All cities are invited to take part in the campaign. To support the initiative and spread the message of local authorities among the international community, you just have to sign the following form and send it to post‐[email protected]
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8. METROPOLIS INITIATIVES
8.1 New METROPOLIS Initiatives*
*delivery time ended at the date of mailing this report The deadline for METROPOLIS members and partners to apply for the new METROPOLIS Initiatives has just been extended. So, if your city or organization runs projects and/or provides services in matters concerning Governance, Urban economy, Urban Innovation, Sustainability or Social Inclusion, do not miss the last opportunity to apply until Thursday, May 15, 2014. To submit your application to lead a METROPOLIS Initiative starting in 2015, please fill out the METROPOLIS Initiatives form, and send it back to the METROPOLIS Secretariat General. Applications will be evaluated by a jury comprising internationally renowned experts and academics. The final selection of the new METROPOLIS Initiatives will be disclosed on October 10, after the METROPOLIS Board of Directors Meeting at the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress in Hyderabad.
8.2 Activities carried out by METROPOLIS Initiatives 8.2.1 Transferring knowledge and cooperating in culture, education and city – “City and Gastronomy” seminar at the 7th World Urban Forum On 9 April, as part of the 7th World Urban Forum, the METROPOLIS Initiative led by the Kreanta Foundation, together with METROPOLIS, the Mayoral Office of Medellin and the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, organized the seminar “City, Gastronomy and Equity”. This activity is part of the 2014 Medellin‐Barcelona Chair program. The goal of the seminar was to highlight the importance of including the topic of gastronomy on cities’ local agendas and the way in which cities, through their policies to foster gastronomy, are generating impacts at different levels, including economic (job creation, product preparation and exchanges), urban planning (better‐known, more commonly visited and safer neighborhoods), environmental (conservation and evaluation of agri‐food wealth and periurban agriculture), equity (guaranteeing access to healthy, balanced food for all), cultural and social (gastronomy as a meeting point and a place for exchange and coexistence fostered by cultural tourism). To that end, the seminar included presentations of projects being carried out in the cities of Medellin (Colombia), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Barcelona (Spain) in the field of gastronomy.
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One month earlier, on 3 March, the round table “Urban Equity in Development: Cities for Life” was held, organized by the Medellin‐Barcelona Chair. The meeting was a preparatory session for the Seventh World Urban Forum (WUF7) in Medellin and featured the participation of METROPOLIS Secretary General Alain Le Saux.
8.2.2 Integrated Urban Governance – “No Regrets” Presentation in Brussels On February 9 and 10th, the METROPOLIS Initiative on Integrated Urban Governance, led by Berlin, organized in Brussels the second dialogue of the series “No Regrets”, which seeks to mobilize cities to adapt to climate change. Recommending actions that must be taken now before it is too late, the initiative took a step further on promoting measures for sustainable development in European cities, which can be replicated further on at METROPOLIS member cities in other regions as well. After this second round of discussions in Brussels, the core team of this METROPOLIS Initiative is now working on the final version of the No Regrets Charter, which will be submitted to a round of consultation with participants of the dialogues. The definitive No Regrets Charter will be publicized by mid‐April, at the METROPOLIS website and other communication channels. The charter is intended to be presented, also, at the next METROPOLIS World Congress in Hyderabad, and through this opportunity win the support of the charter’s goals and principles from as many member‐cities as possible to test, advance, and mutually exchange experience of the No regrets measures included in the charter as well as similar concepts and detailed activities of integrated urban governance approaches to climate change adaption. Read the "No Regrets" Charter here
Photo gallery
8.2.3 Mentoring on Upgrading Informal Settlements – Participation in the IBSA Seminar on Housing, São Paulo From March, 12‐14th the METROPOLIS Initiative “Mentoring on Upgrading Informal Settlements” attended to IBSA Seminar in São Paulo. The purpose of the Seminar was to share experiences in the formulation of public policies in emerging countries with an emphasis on sustainable development. The information exchanged at the IBSA Seminar will subsidize major international debates on sustainability and social inclusion in cities and metropolitan areas of emerging countries, as the World Urban Forum and the Habitat Conference.
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IBSA is a coordinating mechanism between three emerging countries: India, Brazil and South Africa, three multiethnic and multicultural democracies, who are determined to unite their voices on global issues and deepen their mutual relationship in different areas. 9. METROPOLIS INTERNATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE (MITI)
9.1 Opening Ceremony of the METROPOLIS International Training Institute in Seoul
On March 13th, the headquarters of the METROPOLIS International Training Institute (MITI) were formally opened in Seoul, by the Honourable Mayor of the city, Mr. Park Won Soon, and the Secretary General of METROPOLIS, Mr. Alain Le Saux, along with administrative representatives of Cairo, Mashhad, Mexico City and Paris Île‐de‐France.
With the theme "Sharing Cities", the MITI Opening Forum marked a historic step for METROPOLIS to take global responsibilities in promoting international training and capacity building among the major cities of the world. The occasion served for the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) to establish bilateral memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the MITI Regional Centres of Cairo, Mashhad, Mexico City and Paris Île‐de‐France. The bilateral MoUs were overseen by the METROPOLIS Secretariat, Barcelona.
The event in Seoul also included a workshop with the method "Peer Review Process", promoted by the METROPOLIS Initiative on Integrated Urban Governance led by Berlin. The workshop served the Seoul Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC), which hosts the infrastructure of MITI HQ, to build the upcoming international training programs of METROPOLIS with the inputs of MITI Regional Centers.
The MITI Opening Forum was attended, among other representatives of METROPOLIS member cities and partner institutions, by Mr. Paul Moon, President of SHRDC, Mr. Ki Yong Park, Director of SHRDC, Mr. Alain Le Saux, METROPOLIS Secretary‐General, Mrs. Frederique Roussel, from the Direction of International Affairs of Paris Île‐de‐France, Ms. Azza Sirry PhD, Mr. Hamid Isfahanizadeh, Mr. Leon Aceves and Mr. Victor Said ‐ respectively, the directors of MITI Regional centers in Cairo, Mashhad, Mexico City and Paris Île‐de‐France ‐, as well as the representatives of the METROPOLIS Secretariat General Mr. Sunil Dubey (Adviser and Director for India), Agnès Bickart (Manager for International Relations) a and Lia Brum (Project Officer).
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The Ceremony in photos
Day 1: Ceremony of the signing of the agreement and MITI key stakeholders' pair‐ review workshop
Day 2: MITI Official Opening ‐ "Sharing Cities" Forum
9.2 Strategic Congress on Asian Training Networks in NIUA – New Delhi
India’s National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) prepared a meeting with key stakeholders and international development agencies which represent the training networks in South Asia, as part of the METROPOLIS delegation’s visit to New Delhi. The General Secretary also met with NIUA president Anil Baijal and director Jagan Shah. Alain Le Saux discussed with them METROPOLIS’s global agenda in the training program that the Association is keen to foster. He also spoke about the possibility of establishing a new MITI antenna in Asia, to be based out of Delhi, a city with a special interest in Smart Cities and Municipal Finances.
10. METROPOLIS WOMEN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
On 20 and 21 January 2014, the METROPOLIS International Women's Network was invited by Professor Ana Falú, Coordinator of the UN‐Habitat Gender Hub, to take part in a reflection carried out by a group of 40 people from 20 different countries, representing academic bodies and NGOs. Then event was held in Madrid.
The purpose of the reflection was to establish a common strategy that can contribute to and influence the permanent work performed by the UN‐Habitat. In short, and in the words of Olga Segovia, Coordinator of the Women and Habitat Network for Latin America, this involves “generating knowledge with a gender perspective” to use sound arguments to bring about a change of mentality among our government leaders.
The next meeting of the Gender Hub will take place in New York in the first week of March, as part of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where the challenges and achievements with regard to the application of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls will be among the subjects discussed.
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58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Organized by the UN The METROPOLIS Women International Network participated for another year in the Comission on the Status of Women (CSW) organized by UN Women and which took place in New York from 10 to 21 March 2014. The delegation, comprising the Vice‐ President of Abidjan, representatives of the Abidjan antenna and the coordinator of the METROPOLIS Women International Network, used the occasion to meet with delegates from UN Women to discuss upcoming joint projects.
See the conclusions here (pdf in English).
11. THE VOICE OF MAYORS: TOWARD HABITAT III
With the goal of shoring up the essential role of metropolitan and regional governments in sustainable global development and its capacity for innovation before the international community, METROPOLIS has created a collection of publications called “THE VOICE OF MAYORS”.
With the edition of “The voice of the Mayors”, METROPOLIS aims to make these leaders be seen and heard worldwide, for their active role in global development through the exercise of their mandates. Local leaders have been asked to explain the nuts and bolts of actions that they themselves have implemented throughout their term(s) of office, and have been held up as examples of successful governance in different fields of the urban life. These testimonials, written in the first person by mayors and their counterparts, will be part of a landmark collection within the framework of the METROPOLIS International Training Institute (MITI). They will be disseminated and made available online as part of the run‐up to the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress which is taking place in Hyderabad (India) in October 2014.
Subsequently, these short stories from mayors will be compiled in an official publication, available in hard and digital copies, which will be presented, in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), to the United Nations General Assembly at the Habitat III Summit, held in 2016. The promotion of this initiative will
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involve, as well, the dissemination with all METROPOLIS members and partners involved.
12. VISITS TO THE METROPOLIS GENERAL SECRETARIAT
12.1 Visit from the member city of Chengdu The Chinese city of Chengdu visited the METROPOLIS General Secretariat on February 7th as part of its institutional trip around Europe. Chengdu showed great interest in more active collaborations with the Association. The city’s representatives were particularly interested in the METROPOLIS Women International Network and recently took part in a “The Voice of Mayors” publication, with an essay penned by its mayor, Ge Honglin. A delegation will again visit the General Secretariat offices on 23 May 2014 to meet with its collaborators and take a more in‐depth look at possible areas of cooperation.
12.2 Visit of World Bank representatives On 3 March 2014, METROPOLIS received in its offices a member of the International Office of the IT Institute – Urban Habitat at Barcelona City Council, Núria Ferrés, along with the World Bank representative, Pau Puig. The aim of the visit was to study possible forms of cooperation and common interests that could arise from the agreement signed by the City of Barcelona and the World Bank by which Barcelona commits to sharing with the Bank good practices in the field of offering public services via information and communication technologies (ICTs) focused on developing countries.
12.3 Visit of the member city of Wuhan On 14 April, a delegate from the Chinese city of Wuhan visited the General Secretariat offices to reinforce Wuhan’s participation in the Association. Wuhan has been particularly active, presenting projects in past editions of the METROPOLIS Award, and it wished to explore new types of actions.
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APRIL –JULY 2014
1. 2015‐2017 ACTION PLAN
The previous Quarterly Report stated that the definitive 2015‐2017 Action Plan would be finished by the end of July. The Secretariat‐General has now sent the document to the Strategic Reflection participants for a preliminary review and so they can include their comments before the definitive version is sent to METROPOLIS members. This document will be presented at the General Assembly to be held during the World Congress in Hyderabad.
2. CANDIDATURES FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The term for sending candidatures was extended and the deadline ends on 15 August 2014.
3. 11TH METROPOLIS WORLD CONGRESS – HYDERABAD, 7‐10 October 2014
With just 50 days to go before the 11th World Congress begins, registration is free from 4 August 2014 thanks to the state of Telanagana and the city of Hyderabad. The program was developed substantially between 31 July and 4 August and now includes the participation of the city of Hyderabad. The program is now available online at http://hyderabad2014.METROPOLIS.org/es/programa‐provisional. During this time, the METROPOLIS Secretariat‐General consolidated a number of major steps on the road to Hyderabad:
It sent out customized invitations to more than 7,000 contacts, including political representative METROPOLIS members, experts, academics, and international organizations, Association stakeholders, and the private sector.
METROPOLIS has participated in various international events. Representation was harnessed to promote the 11th Congress and the host city in premier events in the international arena between September 2013 and July 2014:
‐ 3rd “METROPOLIS Needs Women” congress, Abidjan (September 2013); 3,000 international delegates ‐ UCLG World Congress, Rabat (October 2013); 3,000 international delegates
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‐ Smart City Expo, Barcelona (November 2014); international delegates
‐ World Health Organization, “Urban Heart” consultation (December 2013); 50 international delegates ‐ METROPOLIS Strategic Meeting (February 2014); 50 international delegates ‐ Sharing City Congress, Seoul (March 2014); 300 international delegates. ‐ 7th World Urban Forum, Medellin (April 2014); 22,000 international delegates ‐ Global City: The Role of Strategic Communication and City Diplomacy in Social Development congress, Teheran (17‐18 May 2014); 200 international delegates ‐ METROPOLIS Women International Network, “Safety and Protection of the Victims of Sexual Exploitation: New Forms of Slavery and its Local Impact”, Barcelona (13 June 2014); 200 attendees ‐ UCLG Executive Bureau meeting, Liverpool (17‐19 June 2014); 300 international delegates ‐ Global Fund for Cities Development “European Conference on Funding and Urban Development”, Paris; 150 international delegates ‐ GDF Suez “Live in @ Living City”, Paris (23 June 2014)
With respect to the sponsorship of the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress and, eventually, private sector collaboration in the Association’s activities, METROPOLIS: ‐ Contracted a specialist fundraising consultant to draft a study and roadmap for the Association’s professional development Produced specific communications material for the Congress, along with save‐ the‐date cards and a promotional sponsorship leaflet Drafted the 11th World Congress website
Register now. It's free!
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4. PREPATORY VISIT FOR BUENOS AIRES 2015
In the last week of May 2014, Buenos Aires received the first visit of a delegation from the METROPOLIS Secretariat‐General to begin to determine the format and content of the Association’s Annual Meeting, to be held in the Argentinean capital in 2015. “Live the City” was confirmed as the meeting slogan as it suggests more than participation and interaction of the attendees with the urban territory. In addition to the traditional plenary sessions, debates, and workshops held in meeting rooms, the program will include onsite sessions each day in different neighborhoods of the city of Buenos Aires, where practical aspects of the issues discussed will be able to be examined. The delegation had the opportunity to gain on‐the‐ground knowledge about multiple projects which will be used to define the program content, covering issues as varied as social housing, the participative design of public spaces, sustainable transport, environmental education, partnerships with the production sector, and the modernization of public management. These issues, among others, will be organized under the three across‐the‐board thematic issues of innovation, inclusion, and green agenda. The visit also enabled METROPOLIS Secretary‐General Alain Le Saux to take part in the seminar “Internationalization of Local Governments and International Cooperation”. The METROPOLIS 2015 Annual Meeting will take place in the first weeks of July 2015 (dates to be confirmed). The Meeting will close the celebrations marking METROPOLIS’s 30th anniversary, which begin in Hyderabad, and will also be a chance to get a statement from the mayors of the world’s large cities, with views to the Habitat III summit in 2016.
Photo: Football ground to be officially opened at Villa 21‐24 in Barracas, formerly a vacant lot, one of the projects the METROPOLIS delegation visited in Buenos Aires.
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5. 2014 METROPOLIS AWARD
The extension to present projects for the 5th METROPOLIS Award ended on 30 May. Since the first event was held in 2002, there has been an important rise in the number of cities taking part and in the quality of the works submitted. In accordance with the competition rules, this time around 33 METROPOLIS member cities took part, five more than the last time, and a total of 43 projects were received. Projects which consider questions of gender and youth, the elderly or the handicapped, will be given special consideration. The panel of juries that will assess the projects is drawn from the cities of Bamako, Hyderabad, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Cairo. Ile‐de‐France and Brussels will provide reserve panel members.
6. AUDIT AND TREASURY VISIT
METROPOLIS was visited by the auditing firm Deloitte on 10 and 11 June to carry out the audit for the 2013 year. In this regard, and in executing the mission that the METROPOLIS General Assembly commissioned to Deloitte & Associates, the company studied the Association’s annual accounts in accordance with the professional standards applicable in France and in application of the provisions of article L.823‐9 of the French Code of Commerce, with the goal of certifying that the METROPOLIS 2013 accounts were rigorous and consistent with the report sent to the Board of Directors. At the same time, having accepted the position of ad interim METROPOLIS Treasurer in February, Mr Jean‐Luc Vanraes (Brussels) also wished to be present in Barcelona with the auditors to go over the METROPOLIS accounts with them, take advantage of the chance to see the Association’s accounting system first‐hand, and be able to raise any questions he had in this regard. METROPOLIS was congratulated by both treasurer Jean‐Luc Vanraes and the members of the Deloitte audit team on 11 June for their excellent work and impeccable execution of accounts.
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7. METROPOLIS MEMBERS
METROPOLIS Members METROPOLIS currently has 136 members. 2014 fees situation At 23 July 2014, 48 members had paid their fees, for a total amount of €390,518.
All members who wish to take part in the METROPOLIS General Assembly must be up to date with the payment of their 2013‐2014 fees
8.METROPOLIS INITIATIVES
Sixteen projects were presented for the 2014 METROPOLIS Initiatives, from Agra, Barcelona, Berlin, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Île‐de‐France (Paris), Johannesburg, Mexico City, Rosario, State of Sao Paulo, Santiago de Chile Metropolitan Region, and the Kreanta Foundation, in collaboration with other cities, private businesses, civil society organizations, and academic institutions in the fields of governance, socioeconomic inclusion, urban innovation, and sustainability. The proposals reflect the maturity of the METROPOLIS Initiatives, which have, since 2012, resulted in a series of shared experiences that made it possible to promote collaborative work guidelines among members and which have signified the implementation of particular actions to improve the management of our cities. The Initiatives have thus already demonstrated their ability to generate major projects for our Association and the whole of the international community. A panel of judges comprising 11 international experts will assess the proposals of the new METROPOLIS Inititiatves between June and August. The selected Initiatives will begin to be implemented in 2015, after having been approved by the Board of Directors at the World Congress in Hyderabad.
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9. METROPOLIS and the Municipality of Teheran engage into a dialogue on city diplomacy and global city
The city of Teheran hosted the Iran‐wide conference entitled “The Global City: The Role of Strategic Communication and City Diplomacy in Social Development” on 17 and 18 May 2014. Shahram Gilabadi, director of the Center for Public and International Relations, and Ali Farhadi, assistant director of the Department of Science and Technology at the Teheran Urban Planning and Research Center (TUPRC), invited METROPOLIS to take an active role in the conference. The METROPOLIS International Relations Manager represented the Secretariat‐ General during the National Conference on the Global City. During the debates, METROPOLIS engaged in a dialogue with professors and experts from the University of Teheran and other prestigious institutions, as well as with representatives of other major cities including Istanbul, Seoul, Tabriz, and Mashhad. Debate was structured around four major themes: Strategic Communication and Social Development; City Culture and Communication; Local Governance Urban Management and the Global City, and The Role of Culture and Art in Urban Diplomacy. Communication experts and municipal managers engaged in exhaustive debate about designing the ideal roadmap to make Teheran a global and world‐class city, and about capitalizing on the many assets it has to offer, one of them being its enormous cultural diversity. The need to expand ‘city‐to‐city’ exchanges was also identified as a priority, along with the will to learn and to develop strong capacity‐building programs for planning, management, and sustainability. With an urban population in Asia of 1.8 billion inhabitants, expected to double by 2025, this challenge is immense in the Asian region and will require strong city leaders to support and engage with capacity‐building activities and programs of non‐aligned global cities organizations like METROPOLIS.
Teheran Municipality also emphasized the need to implement the conference conclusions and guidelines of more than 50 papers and studies, compiled in a publication called National Conference of the Global City, which will shortly be available at www.METROPOLIS.org/Publications.
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10. METROPOLIS WOMEN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
The METROPOLIS Women International Network organized a symposium in Barcelona which posited the unequal situation of women at the center of debate. The symposium, which took place on 13 June, revolved around the topic of “Safety and Protection of the Victims of Sexual Exploitation: New Forms of Slavery and its Local Impact". Drawing nearly 200 people, the event featured the representation of METROPOLIS members (Abidjan, Amman, Barcelona, Bamako and Brussels) as well as the United Nations, local civil society organizations, and US authorities. During her speech, Francina Vila, President of the METROPOLIS Women International Network, and Barcelona City Council’s Councilor for Women and Civil Rights, emphasized that “Our responsibility as administrations, organizations, entities, and, above all, as citizens is to put all of our efforts and capabilities into fighting what is known as 21st century slavery”. The purpose of the Congress was to contextualize the issue of the trafficking of women and girls internationally and within countries and to discuss ways to protect its victims in our cities with participants from the United Nations and other stakeholders from different countries that work at the local level. The event enabled a discussion of the topic from different approaches, both from a global perspective and a more local, municipal and metropolitan dimension. The main conclusions were:
‐ Sexual exploitation is an expression of inequality between men and women and is related to unequal power structures with regard to women ‐ Sexual violence must be cut off at the bud by focusing on the situations of extreme vulnerability of girls and boys ‐ It is necessary to center the debate from the victim’s viewpoint, without criminalizing her ‐ More resources are needed at both the economic and legal levels
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For full information on the event (act and video): bit.ly/1myO3PL In related news, representatives of the METROPOLIS Women International Network were present at the congress organized by the Women’s Health Network on 28 May as part of the International Day of Action for Women’s Health.
11. THE VOICE OF MAYORS: TOWARD HABITAT III
The METROPOLIS Secretariat‐General has now received 17 testimonies for the Voice of Mayors project from mayors and their counterparts in the member cities of Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Chengdu, Istanbul, Guangzhou, Johannesburg, Mexico City, Paris‐Ile‐de‐France, and Rosario (as well as exceptional contributions from the leaders of Bordeaux and Stuttgart). The testimonies are being reviewed and prepared for printing in installments and will be officially launched at a special session of the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress in Hyderabad. If your mayor or governor is interested in contributing to the first run of the collection, please contact Lia Brum ([email protected]) or the METROPOLIS Secretariat‐General as soon as possible, who will inform you about the content required for publication. Remember that contributions that reach us after 15 August 2014 may be included in the promotion of the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress but will only be printed in following editions. Given that The Voice of Mayors is a collection established for the long term under the METROPOLIS 2015‐2017 Action Plan, future printing opportunities will be carried out in line with events such as the METROPOLIS Annual Meeting in Buenos Aires in 2015, and the Habitat III Summit in 2016.
12. METROPOLIS Youth Launched in MASHHAD
Between 24 and 27 June, Mashhad welcomed young citizens to debate the main structure and activities of METROPOLIS Youth, the new sphere of action of our association, which will be officially launched at the World Congress in Hyderabad. Organized by Mashhad’s Young Consultants Group, with the support of the city’s International Scientific Cooperation Office, the METROPOLIS Youth Strategic Meeting served to establish an action plan for METROPOLIS Youth for the next three years, to be integrated with the METROPOLIS 2015‐2017 Action Plan. The young citizens who
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joined the meeting worked intensely to draft the common values, objectives and activities of METROPOLIS Youth, based on a light operational structure. After getting approval from the Board of Directors to lead METROPOLIS Youth in 2013, the Municipality of Mashhad was able to establish, within its administration, an office with a dedicated team for METROPOLIS Youth, which will coordinate its activities along with the Secretariat‐General. METROPOLIS Youth wishes to bring to light members who prioritize the participation and empowerment of young people in their management, and will shortly launch new activities. If your city wishes to share good practices on youth participation in urban management, you are invited to join the group’s discussions METROPOLIS Youth at LinkedIn, or contact the METROPOLIS Youth team in Mashhad ([email protected]). Full story available at http://METROPOLIS.org/es/noticias/METROPOLIS‐jovenes‐ arranca‐en‐m
13. PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
13.1 21st CIDEU Congress in Barcelona The General Secretariat attended the 21st CIDEU Congress (Latin American Centre for Urban Strategic Development) which was held in Medellin between 3 and 5 April. The Congress received more than 300 representatives from 62 cities which actively participated in the roundtables and technical visits organized by CIDEU and the city of Medellin. Sixteen Strategic Projects framed within four fields of the “Cities for Life” congress theme were presented: Promoting and Sharing Value, Creating and Distributing Opportunities, Inclusive City and Equality Development.
13.2 Participation in the Seventh Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF7). Medellin, 5 to 11 April 2014 Medellin was the host city of the 7th session of the World Urban Forum which officially closed on 11 April and, according to figures from the organizers, was visited by 22,000 people representing 162 countries and over 56 ministers of housing and urban development. The Forum marked an important step on the route toward Habitat III, the UN conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development which will take place in 2016 and set the guidelines for urban development planning for the next 15 years.
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Presence as an Exhibitor METROPOLIS used its stand to present its main areas of action and to offer a strategic meeting point between member cities and their stakeholders.
Organizers of a Networking Session As part of WUF7, METROPOLIS, together with UN‐Habitat and INTA, organized a networking session with the main theme being “Equitable Cities: Fixing Spatial, Social and Economic Inequalities Through Integrated Governance, Planning and Development”. The session, moderated by the METROPOLIS General Secretary, involved the presence of the Mayor of Johannesburg, the Mayor of Cali, the Director of the environment department at the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) and the Vice‐President of Greater Lyon.
Of note during the session were two statements among the many made by the speakers on the metropolitan phenomenon and how it is an irreversible process today: “How metropolitan mechanisms can offer greater equity, both among the municipalities that comprise the metropolitan system and among their inhabitants” and also “The metropolitan project must be considered as a necessary condition to build territorial solidarity, a necessary condition for universal access to urban services, and a necessary condition for the ‘right to the city’".
METROPOLIS General Secretary Meetings The METROPOLIS General Secretary used the occasion to meet with and welcome several of the Association’s member cities in person: ‐ Barcelona ‐ Douala ‐ Mexico City ‐ Belo Horizonte ‐ Durban ‐ Montevideo ‐ Bogota ‐ Guangzhou ‐ Porto Alegre ‐ Brussels Capital ‐ Guarulhos ‐ Rio de Janeiro ‐ Buenos Aires ‐ Johannesburg ‐ Rosario ‐ Caracas ‐ Kampala ‐ Santiago ‐ Dakar ‐ Medellin ‐ São Paulo
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Alain Le Saux also met with Cities Alliance, Frente Nacional de Prefeitos, GIZ and the UN‐Habitat executive director and Under Secretary General of the United Nations, Joan Clos.
In addition, he was a speaker at the session “Learning from Urban Innovation in Inclusive Governance” organized by the Government of Guangzhou and in the table “Health Equity and Sustainable Urban Development in the Post‐2015 Development Agenda” which was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN‐ Habitat.
Active presence of the METROPOLIS Women International Network The METROPOLIS Women International Network co‐organized two sessions together with UN‐Habitat: on 7 April, the assembly “Gender Equality and Urban Equality” and on 11 April the roundtable “Gender Equality and the New Urban Agenda”.
In addition, the Network coordinator Montserrat Pallarès was a speaker at the roundtable “Equitable Distribution in Cities: Gender”, which took place on 8 April 2014.
The METROPOLIS Women International Network had the chance to meet up with different association members to expand and improve collaborations, given some members’ interest in joining one of the network’s antennae:
‐Rosario ‐Montevideo ‐Medellin ‐Seoul ‐Santiago de Chile ‐Brussels ‐Buenos Aires
Collaboration with UN‐Habitat Finally, METROPOLIS participated in the meeting of the UN‐Habitat’s World Urban Campaign (WUC) steering committee and was also present at the meeting of the United Nations’ Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA). At both meetings, of note was the imminent challenge cities face to ensure their opinions can be assessed by national governments in the post‐2015 period and at Habitat III.
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13.3 Forum of Mayors in Barcelona on Migration, Mobility and Development Barcelona mayor and METROPOLIS first executive vice‐president Xavier Trias initiated an international dialogue during the UN meeting “Local Government: Taking the Migration and Development Agenda Forward” held in New York in October 2013. His speech focused on the role of cities in addressing the front‐line issues of human migration and the importance of human mobility for the development of cities around the world. Global Cities have successfully demonstrated the value of human capital and cultural mix as important factors in the economic prosperity of a city or region. The Barcelona Declaration is an international campaign that fosters dialogue and debate among the different urban interest groups on the issues of human migration in the context of the urban phenomenon and economic integration. Cities around the world are facing the daunting task of accommodating and integrating migrants but have very little or no voice in national and international forums and policies. The vast financial and knowledge contribution of mobility and migration is directly influencing the economic and social prosperity of major cities and regions.
During the Mayoral Forum held in Barcelona on 19 and 20 June 2014, Xavier Trias focused on political and economic dialogue about human mobility and migration for the prosperity and social integration of cities. Ambassador William Lacy Swing, Director‐General of the International Organization for Migration (OIM), emphasized that city leaders and politicians in general must consider the long‐term vision and use ‘migration and human mobility’ as strategic assets for the development and prosperity of their cities and regions. Various METROPOLIS member cities and other non‐member cities attended the forum, as well as important international organizations including the European Union, the
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United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the IOM, the World Bank, and UCLG. METROPOLIS was represented by Secretary‐General Alain Le Saux and the advisor Sunil Dubey. The next forum will be organized in the City of Quito.
13.4 UCLG Liverpool – Executive Bureau meeting
United Cities Local Governments (UCLG) held its Executive Bureau meeting from 17 to 19 July 2014 in Liverpool, invited by the city’s mayor, Joe Anderson, as part of the “International Festival Business” organized in the city in the months of June and July. The meeting was part of the consultation process on the localization of the post‐2015 agenda which is being jointly run by UNDP, UN‐Habitat, and the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments for Post‐2015, of which METROPOLIS is a member. The results of the consultation, together with contributions from the national, regional, and world consultations that took place across the world between May and July 2014 will be presented to UN Secretary‐General Ban Ki‐moon and be considered by the UN General Assembly as part of the drafting of the Post‐2015 Development Agenda. This event was the opportunity for the METROPOLIS Secretary‐General and International Relations Manager to meet with a number of member cities and in turn confirm their participation in the Association’s upcoming World Congress. The pair also took the chance to foster the participation of other cities among the 300 participants of the UCLG Executive Bureau meeting.
13.5 METROPOLIS and WHO Address Urban Health Equity
During the World Urban Forum in Medellin, METROPOLIS initiated discussions with the World Health Organization (WHO) on their common view concerning the growing need to have health equity placed in the center of the debate around UN Millennium Development goals, and how the international community must encourage the
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achieving of universal health coverage and influence the Habitat III agenda on urban equity. During the session on "Health Equity and Sustainable Urban Development on the Post‐ 2015 Development Agenda" held on 8 April 2014, the METROPOLIS Secretary‐General brought to the Association’s position to the forefront. METROPOLIS is proud to engage further with WHO and UN‐Habitat in the second joint WHO/ UN‐Habitat Global Report on Urban Health: "Hidden Cities: Unmasking and Overcoming Health Inequalities in Urban Setting". Alain Le Saux emphasized the importance of providing basic services in cities coupled with a focus on attaining equity, as urbanization gathers pace in developing regions of the world. The meeting further concluded that the new report should focus most of its attention on illustrating solutions for cities to wide‐ranging problems, and enhance research and results for developing countries. "As the World Association of the Major Metropolises and metropolitan regions, it is our duty to fully support the efforts and the continuous work of the World Health Organization and UN‐Habitat toward raising awareness and invoking actions to address health inequities in cities," said Alain Le Saux. Discussions will continue during the steering committee meeting for the second Who/UN‐Habitat joint report on urban health, to be held in Geneva on 14 and 15 August and to which once again, the METROPOLIS Secretary‐General will contribute his experience and vision. In the firm belief that continuity can help forge worldwide awareness on health equity in cities, METROPOLIS, together with World Health Organization, will organize a joint session on “Achieving Health for All in Cities” in the framework of World Congress in Hyderabad. The METROPOLIS Secretary‐General is member of the Steering Committee for the redaction of the second joint report WHO and UN‐Habitat Hidden Cities.
14. VISITS TO THE METROPOLIS SECRETARIAT‐GENERAL
14.1 Visit of Aburrá Valley A delegation from the AMVA (Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area), the ACI (Medellin City and Metropolitan Area Cooperation and Investment Agency) and a representative of UN‐Habitat visited the METROPOLIS Secretariat‐General offices in Barcelona on the 22nd of May. The objective was to build a community of exchange and good practices with other metropolitan areas that can provide viable solutions to improve the organization and management of metropolitan areas. General Secretary Alain Le Saux
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offered them the chance to take part in METROPOLIS exchange activities to learn about the experiences of its member cities.
Visit by Aburrá Valley
14.2 Visit of the member city of Chengdu A four‐person delegation from the City of Chengdu, including the deputy mayor and the director of the Chengdu Women’s Federation, visited us once again, this time on 23 May 2014, to meet with the President of the METROPOLIS Women International Network, Francina Vila, members of her team and the Secretariat‐General. At the meeting, the Chengdu delegation were principally interested in women’s health and employment policies in Barcelona and the policies to provide social and economic support to the most vulnerable women. They also showed a special interest in the work the METROPOLIS Women International Network does to put different cities into contact with not‐for‐profit associations that take small steps toward improving the quality of life of women in other cities. The director of the Chengdu’s Women’s Federation classified the Network’s activities as exceedingly valuable and mentioned the possibility of hosting the 5th ‘Dynamic Cities Need Women’ World Forum in 2017. She spoke of her intention to join the Women’s Network in the near future and became an antenna in Asia, and showed a particular interest in the Network’s Action Plan for the coming years. The delegation took advantage of their time in Barcelona to visit Barcelona Activa and other women’s associations in an economic and social sphere.
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15. CONTACTS
15.1 Paris. Live in a Living City. The International Forum of the Human Smart City. During the last two decades, innovation and technology have brought the whole of humankind together and for the first time in history we are witnessing the impact of the information age. Innovation and technology are affecting the way we live in our cities and making a profound difference to the governance and management of global cities. There is a larger debate about the impact of innovation and technology on human interactions and the social fabric of our cities, and values we should create for future generations, where innovation and technology are seen as enabling closer human interaction, social cohesion, and a sustainable environment. In June 2014, METROPOLIS was invited to participate in an international forum on the human smart city, Live in a Living City. The forum in Paris was sponsored by UN‐ Habitat, the Academy of Technology France, the French Ministry of Development, and major organizations including GDF Suez, RATP, and Philips. METROPOLIS was one of the institutional partners of the forum, along with City of Barcelona, INTA, and City Protocol Society. METROPOLIS also served on the scientific committee, along with key leaders from the innovation, technology, and smart cities domains. The forum was telecast live to over 100 cities around the world. METROPOLIS emphasized the need for leadership, governance, and city‐to‐city networking as important aspects for global cities to maintain social and environmental cohesion. It presented case studies from METROPOLIS member cities demonstrating that innovation and technology have a long future when working with people‐focused cities. Mr Sunil Dubey, representing METROPOLIS, also presented the Association’s Connectors for Global Cities to work toward sustainability and growth. The host city of the METROPOLIS World Congress, Hyderabad, was represented by Dr Jayesh Ranjan, and the International Relations Manager Ms Agnes Bickart interacted with various international organizations to promote the congress, METROPOLIS Initiatives, and its training programs. The forum was chaired by Prof Carlos Moreno from Cofely INEO (GDF Suez).
15.2 Geneva In the framework of sponsorship work, the METROPOLIS Secretary‐General met with representatives of the World Economic Forum in Geneva to discuss possible connections between the two organizations. WEC representatives took part in the METROPOLIS congress to shore up the relationship and reflect on the possibility of METROPOLIS engaging in the Davos Summit.
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Representatives from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development also participated in the Hyderabad congress. 15.3 Madrid In Madrid, METROPOLIS met with representatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the company Roca with the idea of encouraging them to participate in the congress. The two organizations work together in India on a program for the provision of sanitation infrastructure and public services and are interested in forging closer relations with METROPOLIS.
16. METROPOLIS INSTITUTIONAL PARTNER
METROPOLIS Supports 1st MeTTA Forum, Seoul.
Megacity Think Tank Alliance (MeTTA) is an international alliance based in Seoul and led by the Seoul Institute. It aims to provide solutions to problems that megacities face in order to improve the quality of life of their citizens. The 1st MeTTA Forum entitled “Megacity: Beyond Risk Toward the Safe City” was held on 11 July 2014 at the Grand Conference Hall at Seoul City Council. The event was organized jointly by the Seoul Institute and the Seoul Metropolitan Government (a METROPOLIS member). The purpose of the forum was to discuss urban risks in megacities and exchange knowledge and solutions to urban problems of the participating cities’ think tanks. In this context, and given the close links between the risk society and urban think tanks as solution providers, the president of the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design and Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute, and the Center for Livable Cities and other representatives from Asian megacities were invited to share their responses and be partners in the alliance. The forum also aimed to tackle the inherent risks of urbanization and to coordinate problem‐solving efforts. METROPOLIS is proud to support the Seoul Institute, one of our partners in the framework of the next World Congress in Hyderabad.
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17. MAYORS: REELECTED AND NEW MAYORS IN OUR ASSOCIATION
Congratulations to all the new and reelected Mayors.
Quito: Mauricio Rodas. Gauteng. David Makhura. South Korea Busan: Suh Byung‐soo Daegu: Kwon Young‐jin Daejeon: Kwon Sun‐taek Gwangju: Yoon Jang‐hyun Incheon: Yoo Jeong‐bok Seoul: Park Won‐soon (reelected) Ulsan: Kim Ki‐hyun Gyeonggi Province: Nam Kyung‐pil (governor)
Jakarta The governor of Jakarta, Joko WIDODO, was elected President of the Republic of Indonesia.
18. UPDATED CONTACTS MANAGER
The association changed the CRM (customer relationship management) system and migrate the information to SOLVE as a new provider of our customer contacts base. This change that started in November 2013 was made with the goal of improving contact management and responding to the need to adapt to the large volume of activity generated in the organization. The new IT tool ensures the precision of information and facilitates communications between the METROPOLIS Secretariat‐ General and all of the actors involved with the Association, both direct and indirect members and other companies and institutions.
The experience obtained during the months following the transition will guarantee the success of the new tool, making it possible for the many areas that METROPOLIS works in to inter‐relate and offering all information from different areas in a clearer and more efficient fashion.
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AUGUST –DECEMBER 2014
1. 2015‐2017 ACTION PLAN
1. UPDATED CONTACTS MANAGER
The METROPOLIS members who met at the General Assembly also approved the new 2015‐17 Action Plan, which will be the Association’s framework of action for the three‐ year term.
2. NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS ‐ Statutory Meetings | 8 October 2014
The Board of Directors met again, its mandate ending at the end of the meeting. When the Board meeting ended, the Extraordinary General Assembly was held and the statutes that were modified in July 2014 were approved. A new Board of Directors was voted in by the Ordinary General Assembly of Members. Features of the new Board include its new structuring into Joint Chairs and Regional Vice Chairs and the ex officio incorporation of the President of the METROPOLIS Women International Network as a Board member.
See new composition of the 2015‐17 Board of Directors here.
3. 11TH METROPOLIS WORLD CONGRESS – HYDERABAD, 7‐10 October 2014
The 11th METROPOLIS World Congress, held in Hyderabad, ended in great success on 10 October 2014 after having drawn close to 1,800 participants from different cities around the world. See Congress in Numbers here. For five days, the theme Cities for All inundated the subjects of the 60 sessions held. Experts and political representatives acted as spokespeople for their respective cities to make the meetings a debate for the exchange of knowledge and to explain their experiences to the delegates present. The delegates could also choose from among 9 on-the-ground visits in one of India’s most vibrant cities, Hyderabad.
See Congress photos here.
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Taking advantage of the 11th Metropolis World Congress and the recently established State of Telangana, the city of Hyderabad was the first to run a hackathon in India. The outcome was a resounding success: 390 registered teams and 80 projects delivered on 15 thematic areas.
In this regard, on the occasion of the Association’s world meeting and making the most of the attendance of international delegates, 90 artists from different artistic disciplines came together for 15 days to produce a unique art collection presented by the most prestigious artists from the State of Telangana. They all joined forces to form Art@Telangana. The result can be seen at the website: http://www.artattelangana.org/.
7 October was the key day of the Congress and featured the Opening Ceremony and the political Plenary Session on the event’s general theme, Cities for All.
The Opening Ceremony featured the presence of India’s Urban Development Minister, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu; the Honorable First Chief Minister of the State of Telangana, Mr. Sri K Chandrasekhar Rao; the Governor of the State of Telangana, Mr. ESL Narasimhan; the First Chief Secretary, Dr. Rajiv Sharma IAS; METROPOLIS President, Jean‐Paul Huchon; and Hyderabad City Commissioner, Somesh Kumar.
For its part, METROPOLIS drew a great many of its members and shared with them the different internal sessions concerning the Association’s activities, where its members took center stage.
More information on the Congress and its outcomes at: http://hyderabad2014.metropolis.org/
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4. PROGRESS IN THE PREPARATION OF “LIVE THE CITY”, THE METROPOLIS ANNUAL MEETING IN BUENOS AIRES 2015
The organization of Live the City, the 2015 Metropolis Annual Meeting in Buenos Aires, has made significant progress in various themes following the visit of the METROPOLIS Secretariat General delegation to Buenos Aires at the end of May.
The matters agreed on are listed below:
Definitive dates: 18 to 21 May 2015
A specific communication element has been drafted: Recuerde la fecha / Save the Date / Réservez la date, which will be used in mass mailings and which has also been printed in English and Spanish to distribute in different events in which METROPLIS has participated (Smart City World Expo & Congress, UCLG World Council meeting in Haikou) and those in which it will participate.
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A Concept Note for the event has been agreed on. This is the core document describing the spirit and content of the Annual Meeting and which will be published on the website and emailed to members.
The event webpage has been defined: buenosaires2015.metropolis.org. It will be enabled on the METROPOLIS site in December.
The initial program structure has been adapted and there is now a Program Proposal agreed on by all parties and which will be used as a reference for the next METROPOLIS Secretariat General preparatory visit to Buenos Aires, from 7 to 9 January 2015.
5. 5th METROPOLIS Awards “Seeking Better Quality of Life for the World’s Metropolises” | METROPOLIS 30th Anniversary | 8 October 2014
Following on from the 2011 Awards (Porto Alegre), the 5th METROPOLIS Awards were a great success, with 33 cities taking part and 44 projects sent to the Secretariat‐ General.
The panel of judges, which this year especially considered projects that integrated questions of gender and young people, the elderly and the handicapped, was comprised of representatives from the following cities:
Eugène Zapata – Mexico City; Councilor for International Affairs, Mexico City Council Azza Sirry – Cairo; Professor of Urban Planning and Architecture, Director of the Urban Training Institute at Egypt’s Housing and Building National Research Institute, and Director of the MITI Regional Center for Africa and the Middle East Marina Klemensiewicz – Buenos Aires; Secretary of Habitat and Inclusion, Ministry of Economic Development, Buenos Areas City Government Samake Hawa Diakité – Bamako; Councilor for the Bamako District and Regional President of the METROPOLIS Women International Network Somesh Kumar – Hyderabad; City Commissioner
Following their deliberation on 10 September, the panel gave the METROPOLIS 2014 Awards to:
See winning projects in detail here.
1st Prize – Busan: “Sanbokdoro Renaissance Project”
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2nd Prize – Rio de Janeiro: “Porto Maravilha Urban Operation”
3rd Prize – Abidjan: “Modern Plant for Cassava Processing in the Abidjan Municipal District”
Special Mention – Seoul: “Sharing City”
Special Mention – Madrid: “Madrid River”
The awards were presented by the Mayor of Hyderabad, Mohamed Majid Hussain; Hyderabad City Commissioner, Somesh Kumar; METROPOLIS President, Jean‐Paul Huchon; the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias; and the Mayor of Johannesburg, Parks Mpho Tau.
The award given is a sculpture made by renowned Catalan sculptor Ricard Vaccaro, and it has been inspired by the initial letter "M" of METROPOLIS.
All of the cities that entered the 5th METROPOLIS Awards were presented with a participation diploma, awarded by Francina Vila, president of the METROPOLIS Women International Network, Antonio Balmón, Vice President of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, and Michael Abraham, representing the Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller. The projects are all available on the METROPOLIS website.
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6. METROPOLIS MEMBERS
Four new members formally joined METROPOLIS in Hyderabad: Bhopal, Faisalabad, Changchun and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC); while four more formally left: Melbourne, Omsk and Tel Aviv.
METROPOLIS Members METROPOLIS currently has 139 members.
2014 fees situation At 1st December 2014, 73 members had paid their fees, for a total amount of €576.660.
All members who wish to take part in the METROPOLIS General Assembly must be up to date with the payment of their 2013‐2014 fees
7. New METROPOLIS Initiatives| 2015‐17 Period
After their launch in 2011, the second METROPOLIS Initiatives were addressed when the panel of jurors met in Hyderabad. The panel, at the request of the coordinators who met in Johannesburg in July 2013, was expanded to include independent experts and academics in city management
The Panel of Jurors
Chair: Prof. Om Prakash Mathur, HDFC Chair of Housing and Urban Economics, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), New Delhi The METROPOLIS Regional Secretaries (Emile Danho, Abidjan); Barbara Berninger (Berlin); Rovena Negreiros (representing Mr. Edson Aparecido (State of Sao Paulo); Eugène Zapata (Mexico City) and Secretary‐General (Alain Le Saux).
Experts and academics: • Mary Lewin, former International Affairs Director at the Melbourne Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure (DTPLI) • Prof. Azza Sirry Sadek, Professor of Urban Planning and Architecture at Egypt’s Housing and Building National Research Center and director of the MITI Regional Center for Africa and the Middle East
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• León Aceves, Director‐General of the School of Public Administration of the Federal District of Mexico (EAPDF) • Xavier Tiana, Head of International Relations for the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) and former Head of the European Cooperation Office of the Provincial Government of Barcelona • Prof. Yao Yi, Associate Professor of the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences
The 13 new approved Initiatives were:
See the new METROPOLIS Initiatives in detail here.
1 Barcelona Metropolitan Area: Climate‐Metropole 2 IAU‐Ile‐de‐France: Sustainable Airport Areas 3 Buenos Aires: Social Habitat Management 4 Kreanta Foundation: Creative Cities 5 Berlin: Integrated Urban Governance – Web‐based Knowledge Exchange and Transfer 6 Barcelona: Using Sports to Promote the Social Cohesion and Inclusion of Young People 7 Agra: Piloting Digital Technologies 8 Buenos Aires: Green Economy Center 9 Bogota: Water and Cities Alliance 10 State of São Paulo: Capacity Building and Structuring of Financial Alternatives for Urban and Metropolitan Development Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean 11 Johannesburg: Caring Cities 12 Mexico City: Playful City 13 Cibernàrium – Barcelona Activa: Technology Training Center
Official Launch of the Integrated Urban Governance Database | City of Berlin and METROPOLIS Initiatives
As part of its “Integrated Urban Governance” Initiative, Berlin took the opportunity at the 11th METROPOLIS World Congress to launch a new platform which is accessible online and devoted to knowledge exchange and the creation of networks. The platform can be consulted here: http://policytransfer.metropolis.org/
The purpose of the platform is to build a world community of knowledge concerning the challenges that major cities and metropolises face. As such, Berlin aims to develop an innovative tool that will become a recognized global source of inspiration and exchange and to foster METROPOLIS’s role as a key provider of urban knowledge.
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8. METROPOLIS INTERNATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE (MITI)
8.1. Mexico City Invites METROPOLIS Members to a Seminar on Public Policies to Tackle Childhood Obesity and Overweight
The Federal District’s School of Public Administration (EAPDF), the Regional Centre for the Americas of the METROPOLIS International Training Institute (MITI), invited METROPOLIS members to take part in its seminar, held from 26 to 28 November, which focused on the issue of Public Policies Against Childhood Obesity and Overweight. Seminar activities included keynote speeches, workshop sessions and technical visits.
Click here for the complete seminar program.
8.2. The City of Cairo Invites METROPOLIS Members to an International Experience Exchange Workshop on Integrating Different Scales of Planning in Sustainable Development Projects.
Egypt’s Housing and Building Research Centre (HBRC), the regional centre for Africa of the METROPOLIS International Training Institute (MITI), invited METROPOLIS members and stakeholders to take part in the workshop it ran in Cairo between 15 and 18 December 2014, which focused on different scales of planning in sustainable development projects.
Cities are increasingly complex, presenting multi‐scale nodes, complicated road networks and communities with a great variety of needs. It is necessary to question cities’ abilities to adapt and respond adequately to the speed of this growth. Challenges, needs and potentials differ according to the way the situation is focused from the perspective of the metropolis, region, city or from the local scale. Through
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the workshop modules, professors of international renown presented case studies of various cities with the goal of showing the way the challenges are being tackled at each level. Special attention was given to the structural transformation of cities which bring the different urban fabrics into line with different levels of development, and showed ways to combine road networks with service nodes, on the one hand, and the way to balance environmental considerations with the demands of development and connectivity, on the other. Click here for the detailed workshop program Website: http://www.metropolis.org/training‐institute
9. METROPOLIS Women International Network
In these past few months, the METROPOLIS Women International Network has taken part in the following activities:
1) The METROPOLIS World Congress held in Hyderabad from 6 to 10 October, carrying out two activities, one open and one closed. The open one was a presentation of the METROPOLIS Women International Network, and the closed one was a meeting convened by the Network’s President Francina Vila, to which the Network’s antennae were invited.
Internal Network Meeting The internal meeting of the Women’s Network, which drew eight of its 15 antennae, chose to address the Network’s future and its role within METROPOLIS, focusing on reviewing the internal organizational structure and defining the thematic areas on which it should focus.
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A proposal was made to draft a work plan for the coming years together with all the antennae which, apart from defining issues in accordance with the global gender and cities agenda, makes it possible to see a single discourse agreed on by the Network with regard to the issues that METROPOLIS addresses. The session featured representatives from the antennae of Abidjan, Antananarivo, Barcelona, Brussels, Dakar, Mashhad, Santiago de Chile and Seoul.
Open meeting for delegates
International delegates and local Congress attendees from Hyderabad and India attended the open session presenting the METROPOLIS Women International Network. The session was structured into two blocks: an introduction to the Network which President Francina Vila used to explain its main functions and latest activities, and another block during which Dr. Debjani Ghosh, from India’s National Institute of Urban Affairs, gave a conference entitled “Challenges for Future Networking: A Common Agenda for the Achievement of Women’s Rights”. The speech focused on four main areas: women in local government, women in politics and urban planning, empowerment and its challenges, and the main concerns for the future. The next meeting of the METROPOLIS Women International Network will take place in 2015 when Santiago de Chile hosts the Network’s 4th World Forum. Dates are still to be confirmed.
2) On 7 November last, two people responsible for coordinating the METROPOLIS Women International Network attended the presentation of the publication ESPACIOS PARA LA VIDA COTIDIANA. Auditoria de calidad urbana con perspectiva de género (SPACES FOR EVERYDAY LIFE. An Audit of Urban Quality with a Gender Perspective) The publication forms part of the development cooperation project Gender Audit in the Field of Urban Planning (2013‐2014).
3) Award ceremony of the 9th Prize on 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
On 25 November, the coordinator of the METROPOLIS Women International Network attended the award ceremony organised by Barcelona City Council. During the ceremony, the Citizens’ Agreement for a Barcelona Free of Violence against Women was ratified.
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Furthermore, the coordinator of the METROPOLIS Women International Network, with the support of its President, has begun to make a series of contacts via Skype with each and every one of the antennae to get their impressions of the Women’s Network activities at the METROPOLIS World Congress in Hyderabad, and to start working on the content of the METROPOLIS Action Plan in a participatory manner. At the same time, we are encouraging the antennae to design projects for two or three cities to carry out jointly. We are also preparing the next meeting of antennae, which is being held in New York in March 2015 in the context of CSW59, as well as the METROPOLIS Women International Network’s participation in the “The Americas are Female” conference organised by Casa América, Barcelona Provincial Council and Barcelona Metropolitan Area, which is being held from 27 to 29 January 2015. It should also be noted that, in this past quarter, the President and the coordinator of the METROPOLIS Women International Network have held meetings with representatives visiting us on behalf of their cities, which are interested in joining the Network (Chengdu), and with representatives of organisations like Baix Llobregat County Council to seek synergies with local governments and associations for the future in order to strengthen the Barcelona antenna.
10. Official launch of the VOICE of MAYORS| 8 October 2014
The 11th METROPOLIS World Congress was the stage for publicly launching the Voice of Mayors and to invite more members to join the project – a historic collection of first‐hand written testimony from mayors or their equivalents from the world’s major cities. With initial contributions from 20 political representatives of 16 cities, a first printed edition of the publications was produced in Hyderabad. The following parties were present at the General Assembly to receive the first edition of their testimonies: President of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Antonio Balmón; President of the Ile‐de‐France Regional Council (Paris) and METROPOLIS President, Jean Paul Huchon; Johannesburg Mayor, Mpho Parks Tau; Barcelona Mayor, Xavier Trias; Mashhad Mayor, Solat Mortazavi; and MP for the Brussels‐Capital Region, Jean Luc Vanraes. Berlin, Buenos Aires, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guarulhos, Istanbul, Mexico City, Rosario and Seoul, whose mayors or their equivalents also contributed to the initial project phase, sent representatives to the Congress as well. Another activity of the Voice of Mayors project, held in the afternoon of 8 October before the General Assembly, was the informal meeting during which the political
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representatives of METROPOLIS member cities present at the Congress were invited to express their views on the Association’s role in the current global urban context and the renewal of its political momentum.
11. Official launch of METROPOLIS Youth | 6 October 2014
The session “Empowering Youth to Build Tomorrow’s Major Cities”, which took place on 6 October, was used for the public launch of METROPOLIS Youth. The session was an intergenerational meeting of people from different parts of the world. It involved the presentation of the youth cooperation model drafted by Mashhad, the Iranian city which leads METROPOLIS Youth and which works in close collaboration with a group of young consultants who provide new ideas on city administration. It was also a vibrant session, with the active participation of the public, and brought together citizens and experts of all ages. With postcards illustrated by young Mashhad artists showing questions on various aspects of city life, the participants took to the stage to share their ideas on how to promote better cities for future generations. The occasion was also a great opportunity for the onsite collection of information for the questionnaire on youth participation among METROPOLIS member cities (also available online at http://goo.gl/a1zXYS). More information on METROPOLIS Youth at http://www.metropolis.org/en/jovenes
12. PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
12.1 WHO Meeting, Geneva, 14‐15 August
This meeting was organised by the WHO Kobe Centre, Japan, which is responsible for urban health issues. The aim of it was to define the guidelines of a joint report project by the OMS and UN‐Habitat entitled Hidden Cities. The Secretary General of METROPOLIS is a member of the Committee. He insisted on the need to agree on paying particular attention to decentralising health policies and to transferring human and financial resources so that such policies could be implemented for the benefit of the population.
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12.2 Global Task Force, 15‐18 September
The Secretary General took part in the Preparatory Committee 1 meeting for the Habitat III conference. The meeting was held in New York from 15 to 18 September. The Mayor of Berlin, Michel Müller, represented METROPOLIS at the special meeting on local and regional governments and was the spokesperson for our network. He was accompanied by the Regional Secretary Europe, Barbara Berninger. At the Preparatory Committee’s plenary session, the Secretary General intervened on behalf of the Global Task Force to present the recommendations made by local authorities.
12.3 Addis Ababa hosts the Cities Alliance Annual Meeting
Between last November 5th and 7th, the Cities Alliance convened its Annual Meeting, hosted by the city of Addis Ababa. METROPOLIS, as a founding member of the Cities Alliance, joined the event, during which members discussed the governance and work plan of the organization for the year to come, and also had opportunities to learn on the ground about the boosting development of the Ethiopian capital. In addition, for METROPOLIS, the meeting was a special occasion to confirm the support given from Cities Alliance to the project Voice of the Mayors.
12.4 13th International Congress of Educating Cities. Barcelona 13‐16/11
The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, which has an antenna of the METROPOLIS Women International Network, is an active member of that network. The City Government’s Secretariat of Habitat and Inclusion promotes all kinds of policies that contemplate the incorporation of gender mainstreaming into projects to foster sustainable urban development through universal and social design and, therefore, to build inclusive cities. It presented this knowledge and experience in the form of a project at the 13th International Congress of Educating Cities 2014, which was held in Barcelona from 13 to 16 November. From 600 projects, “Women in Everyday Urban Planning” was selected as one of the best and was presented at the round table held on Friday 14 November, which had the name of the project as its title. The initiative, which is currently being implemented in seven neighbourhoods in the City of Buenos Aires, is part of the Women and Habitat programme, the aim of which is to empower women as agents who facilitate the physical and social transformation of the habitat of their respective communities. The idea of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires is to
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carry on disseminating these best practices and to take advantage of contexts like the METROPOLIS Annual Meeting, which is being held in that city in May 2015, to extend them to as many METROPOLIS member cities as possible. Moreover, Buenos Aires has already begun working with Brussels, Seoul and Barcelona on a document about cities and women to increase gender mainstreaming in the METROPOLIS Work Plan. Members of the Secretariat General attended the opening and closing events as well as several sessions of the congress. 12.5 New Challenges in Mobility of People and the Role of Cities: Process Management
As a founding member of CIPC (International Centre for the Prevention of Crime), METROPOLIS was in Palermo from 17 to 19 November, where the 11th International Colloquium was held. A number of member cities, including Barcelona , Brussels, Madrid and Montreal attended this international event, which focused on crime prevention in a world on the move. People’s increasing mobility is a phenomenon that is growing around the world. Although migration has always existed, cities, the main destination, find they need to tackle new challenges in the management and governance of urban spaces, rethinking them from a comprehensive perspective. To combat the myths that surround the arrival of immigrants to our cities, Barcelona outlined, by way of example, the Anti‐Rumor strategy (http://www.bcnantirumors.cat/ ) it implemented four years ago in conjunction with other organizations and associations. Brussels presented its prevention and safety policies, emphasizing the need for cities to harmonize sanctions for crimes committed, particularly within the same country. Another member city present at the colloquium was Montreal. The city councilor responsible for safety, who is also the councilor from the most conflictive neighborhood, Villeray‐Saint‐Michel‐Parc‐Extension, presented the actions undertaken in recent years to make the district less stigmatized. The city of Madrid was also present at the colloquium, with a representative from the municipal police.
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12.6 Smart City Expo World Congress 2014
For the fourth consecutive year, the Smart City Expo World Congress was held in Barcelona from 18 to 20 November 2014. Metropolis once again had an active presence through a stand at the Expo and in the Congress’s programme of sessions. Francis Pisani moderated the “Fostering Social Development” session and Sunil Dubey moderated the “Liveable Equitable Cities” session. Both moderators participated on behalf of Metropolis.
Furthermore, several contacts were made and activities carried out, mainly through the stand:
‐ Meeting with Gabriella Gómez‐Mont, Director of Mexico City’s Laboratorio para la Ciudad (City Lab), for the launch a new Initiative called “Playful City”. ‐ Meeting with Paul Todd, the Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, for the presentation of a project and potential collaboration channels. ‐ Meeting with the architect and urban planner Alain Renk, who presented a citizen participation methodology, to explore potential ways of applying it at the Buenos Aires Meeting 2015. ‐ Meeting with Borja Iglesias, CEO at Network for Strengthening the Informal City, to explore potential collaboration channels. ‐ Promotion of the Metropolis Annual Meeting 2015, which is being held in Buenos Aires. ‐ Promotion of the Integrated Urban Governance platform launched by Berlin. ‐ Contact with Kampala, Panama and Mumbai cities, who expressed an interest in becoming members of the association.
12.7 Major cities contribute with the UCLG in implementing the Urban Agenda of 2016.
METROPOLIS represented the major cities and regions of the world on the World Council and the Executive Board of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) held in Haikou, China, from 23rd to 26th of November 2014.
Following the decisions approved by the World Council, the UCLG Secretary General Josep Roig will continue his duties until 2017 and has designed a new plan of action for the next three years. The signing of a strategic partnership with the European Union will strengthen the position of the UCLG as the representative of local authorities. It
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will also develop, jointly with its sections, the exchange of experiences and decentralised cooperation, especially in the field of training, thanks to the Metropolis International Training Institute (MITI) that will extend its activity with the creation of a sixth regional training centre in New Delhi. As part of a strategy to strengthen the voice of local authorities in the preparation of the General Assembly of the United Nations on habitat and sustainable urban development, Habitat III 2016, the Secretary‐General Alain Le Saux has called the mayors of large cities in this forum to take part in the project “Voice of the Mayors” started by METROPOLIS a few months ago, which compiles unique testimonials of mayors of cities with over one million inhabitants and representatives of metropolitan areas. Twenty mayors have already contributed to the project, honouring us with their testimonials about urban projects which are particularly important to them. All major metropolises are invited to join this ambitious project, and make the voice of cities and regions heard in the international community.
METROPOLIS joins the Task Force initiated by Cités Unies France (CUF) on disaster management and, as such, will participate in the meeting in Geneva in December. Co‐President of Metropolis and Mayor of Canton, Chen Jianhua, along with other representatives of member cities (Barcelona, Île‐de‐France, Istanbul, Montreal, Chengdu, Mashhad, Tehran, Victoria, Durban and Nouakchott) were also present. The General Secretary of METROPOLIS, along with the other sections, has committed to participate in a strategic retreat organised by the UCLG in February in Barcelona in order to implement the new action plan of the UCLG and prepare the Urban Agenda of 2016. METROPOLIS and the UCLG community will both sit together at the next Executive Board in July 2015 in Porto Alegre during the COP21 and the UCLG World Council, held in Paris in December 2015. Haikou, Capital of Hainan Province, with a population of 2.171.100 inhabitants, is one of the most active Chinese members of METROPOLIS. As an economic, cultural, educational and scientific hub, Haikou is also distinguished by its favourable ecological and geological environment, making it a national benchmark for tourism. It is also one of the Chinese centres of emerging industries such as renewable energy and biotechnology. HAIKOU is an active member of METROPOLIS, UCLG and Asian Mayors Forum.
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12.8 METROPOLIS successfully accompanied the 2nd edition of the Guangzhou Award 2014 "My City my Dream" "This is about changing people's life, this is far better than an Oscar" George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol
The second edition of the Guangzhou Award was held in Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center on November 28th and received the applications of 250 urban projects from 177 cities and 59 countries. Over 100 mayors and deputy mayors attended the ceremony with over 600 participants. The final winners of the 2014 Guangzhou Award are the following:
DAKAR, Senegal: Dakar Municipal Finance Program HANGZHOU, China: Public Bike Sharing System CHRISTCHURH, New Zealand: Transitional City Program for our ever evolving city ANTIOQUIA, Colombia: Educational Parks for All BRISTOL, UK: Smart City Bristol Among the 15 short listed Initiatives of this second edition of the Guangzhou Awards, 5 are active member cities of METROPOLIS. . BUENOS AIRES, Argentina . DAKAR, Senegal . GWANGJU, Corea . HANGZHOU, China . RIO DE JANEIRO, Brasil
The concept of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation is derived from the city's long term cooperation international organizations of local governments. Co‐hosted by Guangzhou Municipal Government, METROPOLIS and UCLG, the Guangzhou Award aims at rewarding innovations to improve the socio‐economic environments in cities and regions, promote sustainability, and hence advance the livelihood of their citizens. Under the slogan " My City my Dream" and the principles of transparency, fairness, independence and non‐profitness, the Guangzhou Award contributes to the progress of city performances by promoting innovations in the public sector and presenting platform for cities and regions around the world to share and disseminate their achievements. For comprehensive information on the Guangzhou Award please visit: www.guangzhouaward.org
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For more information on the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation please visit : www.urban‐innovations.org
Guangzhou is the capital of Gungdong Province and one of the five national‐level central cities in China as well as a communication transportation hub and traffic port of South China. In October 2014 Guangzhou was elected as the first Co‐President of METROPOLIS ad well as the host city of METROPOLIS Asia Pacific Regional Office In this framework, Secretary General Alain Le Saux also met with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). CPAFFC is a nongovernment organization in general consultative status at UN Ecosoc, which aims at actively participating in international cooperation on behalf of Chinese local governments. During the "Top Talk on Global Cities, Friendship Cities and Urban Innovation" plenary session, held on November 28, Mayor of Guangzhou M.Chen Jianhua stressed the importance of the sister cities agreements lead by CPAFFC in fostering the tradition of friendship between Chinese and foreign cities.
In this regards both organizations confirmed their willingness to strengthen their relationship and contribute to more exchanges between METROPOLIS Chinese cities members, Chinese cities non members of METROPOLIS and the metropolises worldwide.
12.9 Local/urban indicators to address disaster resilience under the Post‐2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
In preparation for the implementation of the Post‐2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) organised a technical workshop with partners and various stakeholders in Geneva on 2 and 3 December, which kicked off the process for developing local indicators to support implementation of the Framework. The workshop also served as an opportunity to support three recently launched initiatives, namely, the Medellin Collaboration, the Resilient Cities Acceleration Initiative and the Compact of Mayors, which set out the intention to establish a common data standard for reporting on local climate hazards and risks, and may result in the creation of new standards or the revision and refinement of existing protocols, i.e., the Ten Essentials, the Local Government Self‐Assessment Tool and the UNISDR City Disaster Resilience Scorecard, among others.
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During the event, to which METROPOLIS was invited, there was insistence on the need to make sure that the evaluation tools were well suited to the level of knowledge of those using them because they were sometimes too complicated, thus preventing them from being used properly, especially in the context of local governments. The possibility of unifying the various partners’ existing tools was also discussed, but the conclusion reached was that if there were so many tools, it was because there were many different reasons for using them. The next step is to submit an indicator project drawn up by the expert group, of which METROPOLIS forms part, in Sendai in March 2015, at the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The full technical note of the workshop can be found here.
13. VISITS TO THE METROPOLIS SECRETARIAT‐GENERAL
13.1 Delegation of Guarulhos visit
Seizing a visit to Barcelona because of the 13th International Congress of Educating Cities, a delegation from Guarulhos visited the office of the METROPOLIS Secretariat General on the morning of Friday, November 14, with the intention to increase the participation of the city in our association. For now, the mayor of Guarulhos, Sebastião Almeida, has already contributed to the project Voice of the Mayors, but the city also demonstrated interest to get involved, for example, in the work carried out by METROPOLIS Women and the new METROPOLIS Initiative on sustainable airport areas. The visit counted on the presence of Maria Helena Gonçalves, Coordinator of Women's Policies, Professor Moacir de Souza, Secretary of Education, and Fernando Santomauro, Coordinator of International Relations.
13.2 The Global Learning Team from Seoul visit
A delegation from MITI in Seoul, led by Mr. Young‐gyu Kang, Head of the Global Learning Team, visited the METROPOLIS Secretariat General on 24 November. The purpose of the meeting was to find synergies between MITI’s training proposals for 2015 and the activities to be developed both by the new METROPOLIS Initiatives and the METROPOLIS Women International Network.
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MITI will organize a workshop at the ICLEI Congress next year, to be held in Seoul from 8 to 12 April. The Secretariat General will work with MITI to coordinate this presence with experts from the initiatives related to the issue of “Sustainable Solutions for an Urban Future”. At the same time, the METROPOLIS Women International Network has offered to work closely with a gender perspective on the different programs and seminars of urban management and social wellbeing policies which MITI anticipates running in 2015. The meeting was reminded that Seoul is not just the site of the MITI central office but is also a very active antenna in the Women’s Network. There was a commitment to foster collaboration between the two sections and to work more closely in 2015.
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