ESCAP  NEWS  |  With  Asia-Pacific’s  urban population  projected to increase from 1.8 billion to around 2.8 billion by 2030,  city and national government officials were urged to scale up action and  responsibility for sustainable development, including tackling climate change and achieving resilience, at the International Forum on Urban Policy for  the  Sustainable  Development Goals (SDGs) in Seoul, Republic of Korea today.

“The 17 Sustainable Development Goals offer solutions and opportunities for sustainable  urban  development,”  said Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, United Nations Under-Secretary-General  and  Executive  Secretary  of  the  United Nations Economic  and  Social  Commission  of  Asia  and the Pacific (ESCAP) in her opening address.

“For cities to be responsive to these Goals however, there is need for strong leadership, better implementation, innovation and financing, as well as the building of data capacities,” added Dr. Akhtar.

The   Forum, held  from  8-10  June  and  co-organized  by  ESCAP,  Seoul Metropolitan  Government  and  CityNet,  is  the first-ever to be dedicated specifically   to  the  role  of  cities  in  the  Asia-Pacific  region  in implementing the SDGs.

“There is a need for municipal governments to be more effectively supported and empowered to carry out their mandate and responsibilities, including through broad-based partnerships and enhanced information,” emphasized Mr. Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul.

While the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a global initiative, its success will be largely determined by local action. Local government representatives   at   the Forum will explore  the  need  for  increased innovation, technical assistance, cooperation, financing, capacity building and  knowledge  sharing  to  support  cities  in  implementing  sustainable development initiatives at local and regional levels.

The Forum will provide a multi-stakeholder platform to address these issues, and will exchange experiences and knowledge sharing on the broader role of cities in achieving sustainable urban development. During the Forum, ESCAP and its partners will also present the development of a new Urban SDG Knowledge Platform.  This online portal will aim to support city-to-city   urban  policy  sharing  and  cooperation,  facilitating  the transfer  of  innovations,  solutions  and  models  for  sustainable  urban development.

The Forum and the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform are new programmes initiated by ESCAP and its partners in response to the 2030 Agenda, which recognizes the  important  role  that  cities  play  in  the  pursuit  of  sustainable development  with the inclusion of Goal 11 aiming to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM

by Katie Elles

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