Sustainable Cities & Communities

Photo: A landscape in the Serengeti national park, Tanzania. Credit: iStock. Source: ACP-EU NDRR Activity Report 2017-2018.

EU-ACP Initiative Leads to Natural Disaster Risk Reduction

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – The African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program (ACP-EU NDRR) launched in 2011 has worked to build climate and disaster resilience in ACP countries, where the impacts of climate change are increasingly visible, says a new report.

The Program is an initiative of the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Group of States, in partnership with the European Union (EU), and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).

: Reinhard Jacobsen; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 21 November 2018

Slum Dwellers in 79 ACP Countries Draw the Focus

By Robert Johnson

BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – Transforming ACP cities, leaving no one behind engaging in large scale investments in slums is the central theme of the three-day 3rd ACP-EC-UN-Habitat International Tripartite Conference in Brussels, headquarters of the European Union and the capital of Belgium.

The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) is an organisation composed of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states: 48 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific. All of them, save Cuba, are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement, also known as the "ACP-EC Partnership Agreement" which binds them to the European Union.

: Robert Johnson; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 15 November 2018

Photo: Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury (third from left), former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, who is the Chairman of the Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS) since 2008, delivered the opening address to the 13th GFHS Annual Session in Bangkok on 30 October 2018. Credit: GFHS.

Cities Have the Potential to Shape the Future of Humankind

Viewpoint by Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury*

The following are extensive extracts from the opening address by Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, who is the Chairman of the Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS) since 2008, at the 13th GFHS Annual Session in Bangkok on 30 October 2018. – The Editor

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – We live at a time of unprecedented, rapid, irreversible urbanization. Beginning in 2008, for the first time, half of humanity is now living in towns and cities … but this dramatic transition is far from over. In reality the beginning of a new urban era is being felt. It is projected that globally urbanization levels will rise dramatically in the next 35 years to reach 70 percent by 2050 when the world population is expected to hit 9 billion.

: Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury; OPINION; 14 November 2018

Photo: Participants in the opening session. Credit: Global Forum on Human Settlements.

Global Forum on Human Settlements Calls for Urban Innovation

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK | BANGKOK (IDN) – The Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS) 2018 has called for greater efforts to speed up the transition to green growth through developing a circular economy, scaling-up financing for sustainable urban infrastructure, sustainably managing urban water, applying innovative technologies for smart cities, building enhanced partnership and creating international green model cities.

GFHS enjoys a special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

: Asia Editor; UN INSIDER; 06 November 2018

Rethinking Mobility – How to Respond to Opportunities in a Changing World

Viewpoint by David Suttie*

ROME (IDN) – Rural people often migrate seasonally with their herds, or to join the harvest in other districts. They frequently travel to towns and cities to trade, do temporary jobs, or advance their education.

In some regions of the world, nomadic cultures are commonplace. Migration is one of the most debated topics and policymakers are fully aware of how much people move around. What is lacking is reliable data – movement is very difficult to capture in official statistical systems.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 02 October 2018

Photo: Students in Marrakech planning change for their university community. Credit: The High Atlas Foundation.

Morocco Provides 'Safe Spaces' for Youth

By Julia Payne

MARRAKECH (IDN) – As a society, we have hopes and dreams for the future; for our children, our countries, and the global community. These aspirations rest on the shoulders of the young generation. August 12, 2018 marked the 18th celebration of the UN's annual International Youth Day.

This awareness day was a unique opportunity to reflect on youth's challenges and to celebrate and support the world’s future leaders. This year’s theme, 'Safe Spaces for Youth' highlighted the importance of youth’s engagement, participation, and freedom of thought.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Middle East & North Africa; 19 August 2018

E-Government Favours Sustainable and Resilient Societies, Finds UN Survey

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – Almost two thirds of 193 United Nations member States demonstrate a high-level of e-government development with EGDI (the E-Government Development Index) values above in the range of 0.5 and 1, finds a new survey, which also draws attention to the widening 'digital divide' between the industrialized and least developed countries.

The share of countries with low e-government levels, in the range of 0 to 0.25, has dropped by a significant 50 percent, from 32 countries in to 16 countries in 2018, says the 2018 UN E-Government Survey.

: Santo D. Banerjee; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Cities & Communities; 13 August 2018

Photo: Martin Krause, Director of the Division of Programme Support and Coordination, IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation, attends the UN event on sustainable development in New York. Credit: D. Shropshire/IAEA.

UN Nuclear Watchdog Promotes Global Development Agenda

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – At the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, concluding on July 18 in New York, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has highlighted its contributions to promoting the Sustainable Development Goals.

Capacity building to 'ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all' as envisaged by SDG 7 was the focus of a training course organized by the IAEA, the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field.

: Santo D. Banerjee; UN INSIDER; 13 July 2018

Photo: Inauguration Ceremony of Women's Farm Cooperative in Nielle, Côte d'Ivoire. UN Photo/Abdul Fatai Adegboye

Sham Organisations Pose A Serious Threat To Cooperatives

Viewpoint by Amy Zhang*

MARRAKECH (IDN) – The United Nations International Day of Cooperatives, commemorated every year on the first Saturday of July, underlines the role of cooperatives in sustainable development, wealth creation, and poverty alleviation, giving the hope for an equitable future. But what led to the creation of cooperatives and how do they function.

Today's cooperatives can be traced back to the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844. Although other cooperatives preceded them, the Rochdale Pioneers' co-operative became the prototype for societies in Great Britain.

: Ramesh Jaura; THE WORLD; Africa; 06 July 2018

Experts Call For Paying Heed To Internally Displaced Persons

By Geneva Centre Staff

GENEVA (IDN) – The forced displacement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Middle East cannot be left unaddressed by decision-makers in the context of the refugee and migrant crisis, stressed a group of human rights experts during a panel debate at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The debate entitled “Protecting people on the move: Internally displaced persons in the context of the refugee and migrant crisis” was held on March 21 at Palais des Nations in Geneva on the margins of the 37th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council. The debate was arranged by the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue (Geneva Centre) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to UN Geneva.