Context
Tomorrow’s world will be urban. At the start of the 20th century, just 10 per cent of the world’s population lived in cities. Now, the figure is 55 per cent, and by 2050 it will be over 75 per cent. The speed, extent and force of this urbanisation process means that the world is facing some significant challenges. There are currently around 850 million people living in slums across the world. By 2050 there could be two billion more. Two thirds of the 60 million refugees in the world live in urban poverty-stricken areas. Cities also produce three quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and as such bear most of the responsibility for addressing climate change and its consequences.
Managing and designing urbanisation is decisive for achieving the global development goals, particularly those set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the New Urban Agenda, the outcome document of the third United Nations’ Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito in 2016. These goals can only be achieved with, by and in cities. However, cities often lack the resources and capacities to adequately meet their requirements.
Objective
German development policy in the area of local and urban development effectively positions the concept of cities as engines of sustainable development in international policy-making.
Approach
The project is advising the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on steering the Habitat III process. It is assisting the Ministry to develop, position and mainstream a current understanding of urban development in key international development policy processes, for example in climate negotiations, in the implementation of the sustainable development goals and as part of the Habitat III process. Here, the project focusses on the three key messages of the German Federal Government in the Habitat III process:
1. Recognising and strengthening cities as development actors
2. Creating liveable cities for all
3. Realising integrated urban development
In order to mainstream these objectives at the international level, the sector project is cooperating with strategic partners and thereby strengthening networks with partner organisations that are driving sustainable urban development. Such networks include ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Cities Alliance, UN-Habitat, the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA), and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40).
Results
Together with its partners, the project organised and (in collaboration with Media Company) implemented the German Habitat Forum (GHF) in June 2016. The forum was one of Germany’s key contributions to the Habitat III process. It offered the opportunity to discuss German positions with a large group of international stakeholders, thereby ensuring that these positions were fed into the negotiation process.
The close and constant involvement of partner organisations, relevant stakeholders and, above all, civil society actors in the Habitat III process has helped to consolidate key cooperation networks and to strengthen recognition and participation of civil society actors in international policy-making.
The German representation at the Habitat III Conference in Quito in October 2016 was another milestone of Germany’s involvement in the process.
In collaboration with C40, the project set up the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF). This partnership is supporting cities to obtain funding for climate-related urban development projects and develop their respective capacities.
The project is cooperating with CDIA and CFF on environmental protection and resource conservation in cities. For example, CFF is supporting the project preparation and investigation of funding options for cycling lanes in Bogotá and the development of a fleet of electric buses in Mexico City, thereby supporting these cities in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
Through its cooperation with the Cities Alliance, the project is supporting the mainstreaming of pro-poor urban development policies in order to promote participation and access of disadvantaged population groups and to strengthen their involvement in urban development and international policy-making.
In the drafting process of the New Urban Agenda, the project has promoted and mainstreamed aspects of gender equality and human rights as well as anchored the German position on urban development. This ensures that these topics are taken into consideration in international policy-making and when implementing international agendas.