Decentralized Cooperation Programme

Welcome to Quito in the CONVIVAL network !

Akiko Miyahara — 2008-02-14T14:29:48Z

Quito, Ecuador, 7 February 2008. A delegation from UNITAR, CIFAL Barcelona, CIFAL Atlanta and Veolia met with the Mayor of Quito, Mr. Paco Moncayo, to formalize the integration of the city of Quito in the CONVIVAL Network and prepare the Quito International Conference, the launching event of this network. A MoU has been signed between the members organizing the Quito International Conference (CIQ)* to define the roles of each party.

*A special web page on the CIQ will soon be online.

First row (L-R): Nicolas Frizon de Lamotte (Manager LDP, UNITAR), Paco Moncayo(Mayor of the city of Quito), Carlos Gonzalez (Director of CIFAL Barcelona).

Second row (L-R): René Pinto (International Relations Delegate, City of Quito), Dominique Héron (Special Advisor, Veolia Environnement), Alex Mejia (Director of CIFAL Atlanta), Pablo Ponce (President of the Citizenship Security Commission) and Charlotte Boisteau (Coordinator of CONVIVAL Network).

International seminar set to explore the role of urban planning in tackling climate change

Akiko Miyahara — 2008-02-14T11:22:20Z

17-18 March 2008. Findhorn, Scotland. Already many cities around the globe have adopted innovative policies for tackling the effects of climate change. This 2 day seminar will focus on practical, successful examples of best practice in the form of inspirational case studies presented by expert practitioners in the field of sustainable urban regeneration.

Europe's solar capital, Freiburg and Brazil's world-renowned transportation system in Curitiba will be among the overseas contributions. Pioneering approaches showcasing Scotland will include Dundee's waterfront regeneration project and other local approaches to land-use planning. Critically, the shift towards global sustainability will depend on such innovative urban planning.

Participants will have an opportunity to explore and compare new solutions and creative strategies; exchange ideas on how to engage in more inclusive and collaborative planning processes and examine the role of sustainable planning and design in the battle against climate change.

The seminar will be particularly relevant to policy makers, government officials and local authorities who wish to make the most effective transition towards more ecologically, economically and socially sustainable urban areas.

For further information, visit www.cifalfindhorn.org or email cifalfindhornfindhorn.org

SUTECA: A new web-based forum on sustainable urban transport in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Akiko Miyahara — 2008-01-07T15:39:41Z

Welcome to SUTECA!

In follow up to the workshops on sustainable urban transport in CIFAL Plock (2006, 2007) and CIFAL Tallinn (2007), UNITAR and GTZ SUTP are happy to introduce this newsgroup and webpage as a platform for professionals and decision-makers in the ECA-region in order to facilitate and enhance the dialogue on sustainable urban transport. The web page www.sutp.org/suteca offers ample space for contributions, news and information from the region and updates on on-going activites related to sustainable urban transport.

The SUTECA-newsgroup is open for all parties interested in sharing opinions, questions and concerns on sustainable urban transport. It is your forum! It allows you to contact about 100 professionals working in local authorities in the ECA region. As subscriber, just send your email to SUTECAmailserv.gtz.de to get in contact! And: Feel free to invite colleagues and to spread the news!

Links: GTZ Transport

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Witamy w SUTECA - nowym forum internetowym dotyczącym Zrównoważonego Transportu Miejskiego w Europie Wschodniej i Azji Centralnej (ECA).

W ramach kontynuacji warsztatów na temat Zrównoważonego Transportu Miejskiego, które odbyły się w Płocku (2006, 2007) i w Tallinie (2007), UNITAR i GTZ SUTP mają zaszczyt przedstawić niniejszą listę mailingową oraz stronę internetową, jako centralny punkt spotkań fachowców i decydentów w rejonie ECA, który ułatwi i usprawni dialog na temat zrównoważonego transportu miejskiego.

Strona internetowa www.sutp.org/suteca oferuje wiele miejsca dla Waszych pomysłów, wiadomości i informacji z regionu oraz dostarcza najnowszych informacji o realizowanych działaniach związanych ze Zrównoważonym Transportem Miejskim.

Lista mailingowa SUTECA jest otwarta dla wszystkich zainteresowanych wymianą opinii, pytań i problemów związanych ze Zrównoważonym Transportem Miejskim. To jest Wasze forum! Pozwala Wam kontaktować się z około 100 fachowcami pracującymi w lokalnych organach władzy w miastach regionu ECA. Jako abonent po prostu wyślij swój e-mail na adres SUTECAmailserv.gtz.de aby nawiązać kontakt. Nie wahaj się zaprosić do tej inicjatywy swoich współpracowników oraz przekazać informacje wszystkim zainteresowanym!

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Bine aţi venit la SUTECA – noul forum de pe internet despre Transportul Urban Nepoluant din Europa de Est şi Asia Centrală.

Ca urmare a conferinţelor din CIFAL Plock (2006, 2007) şi CIFAL Talin (2007) cu privire la transportul urban nepoluant, UNITAR şi GTZ SUTP au plăcerea de a vă prezenta acest forum (newsgroup) şi această pagină de internet ca punct principal de interes pentru profesionişti şi pentru persoanele cu drept de decizie din Europa de Est şi Asia Centrală. Acest site are scopul de a facilita şi încuraja dialogurile pe tema transportului urban nepoluant.

Pagina de internet www.sutp.org/suteca oferă un spaţiu amplu destinat contribuţiilor dv., ştirilor şi informaţiilor din diferite regiuni, cât şi actualizări cu privire la activităţile în desfăşurare, legate de transportul urban nepoluant. Forumul SUTECA este disponibil tuturor celor care sunt interesaţi în a-şi expune punctele de vedere, în a pune întrebări şi probleme. Este forumul dumneavoastră! Acesta vă permite să intraţi în legătură cu aproximativ 100 de profesionişti care lucrează în instituţii locale din Europa de Est şi Asia Centrală. Pentru a intra în legătură cu noi şi pentru a deveni membru, trebuie doar să trimiteţi un e-mail la adresa SUTECAmailserv.gtz.de! Şi încă ceva: Nu ezitaţi să invitaţi şi alţi colegi şi să spuneţi şi altora despre acest forum!

UNITAR-University of Zurich Curriculum Building Workshop: "state of the art: e-Democracy"

Akiko Miyahara — 2007-12-18T11:14:00Z

Geneva, Switzerland, 17-18 December 2007. UNITAR and e-Democracy Centre of University of Zurich co-organized an experts working group on "e-Democracy" to discuss possible curriculum for a training course on the same topic.

The working group consisted of 24 experts from academia, governments, UN and the private sector. The discussion was structured around 3 main topics namely on "theory", "empirics" and "methodology", following several presentations on each topic.

For more information, please contact Ms. Akiko Miyahara or Mr. Ivar Tallo at dcp< at >unitar.org
Please replace < at > with @ when you type the address.

All presenations can be downloaded from the links below:

UNITAR and its e-Governance programme (ppt 1.6MB), (pdf 3.1MB) by Mr. Ivar Tallo (UNITAR)

e-Democracy Training (ppt 482 KB), (pdf 2.5 MB) by Mr. Vassilis Koulolias (Gov2U)

E-democracy experimentation: Research and teaching implications (ppt 1 MB), (pdf 989 KB) by Mr. Alexandre Trechsel (European University Institute)

Framing e-Democracy (ppt 141 KB), (pdf 80 KB) by Mr. Fernando Mendez (University of Zurich)

E-democracy and Public Law (ppt 243 KB), (pdf 29 KB) by Mr. Navraj Ghaleigh (University of Edinburgh)

E-democracy in Africa (ppt 3 MB), (pdf 1 MB) by Mr. Norbert Kersting (Stellenbosch University)

E-democracy developments in Australia (ppt 1.3 MB), (pdf 915 KB) by Ms. Rachel Gibson (University of Manchester)

E-democracy developments in North America (ppt 444 KB), (pdf 226 KB) by Mr. Micheal Peart (University of Zurich)

Participatory budgeting (ppt 66 KB), (pdf 86 KB) by Mr. Tiago Peixoto (European University Institute)

Innovative methods for studying political behaviour (ppt 3.3 MB), (pdf 1.4 MB) by Mr. Uwe Serdult (University of Zurich)

Methodological issues in the study of e-democracy (ppt 200 KB), (pdf 243 kb) by Mr. Lawrence Pratchett (DeMonfort University)

Interdisciplinary methodologies and the study of e-democracy (ppt 28 KB), (pdf 23 KB) by Ms. Vasiliki Trigka (University of Zurich)

Sustainable Transport Solutions: do biofuels hold the answer?

Akiko Miyahara — 2007-12-12T18:34:22Z

CIFAL Findhorn, The Moray Council and the Scottish Agricultural College teamed up with leading Scottish companies, National Government officers, overseas organisations, environmentalists and academics to explore the local and global challenges of delivering environmentally sound and sustainable transport solutions. November 26- 27 2007.

Over the two days, participants measured a range of approaches to biofuel implementation against sustainability indicators: net green house gas reductions, energy return on investment and environmental and social sustainability.

The seminar drew many participants involved with setting transportation policies and administering public transport systems. A balanced panel of speakers, including environmental groups, fuel distribution companies and growers of biofuel crops meant that participants gained a closer insight into the critical issue of sustainable vs. non-sustainable biofuels.

On day two, participants engaged in a practical design exercise. Working in small groups they identified technical aspects and designed an implementation strategy for three regional case studies:

1. A Bio-methane-Anaerobic Digestion (AD) biofuel project in Aberdeen City to establish a methane filing station to supply ten city buses with LPG.

2. An Inverness city based Oil Seed Rape Biodiesel medium scale pressing and refining plant to fuel Scotland's first regionally fuelled train. See pdf with the results of this case study.

3. In the city of Elgin, conversion of three of the oldest diesel Council buses to run on straight vegetable oil (SVO).

An emerging theme during the seminar was the importance of establishing contracts and co-operatives between growers, processors and end users. It was also considered important to seek out and maximise opportunities for symbiotic relationships with other industries to utilise and add value to all aspects of the biofuel production process.

Comments following the seminar included:

"An excellent range of speakers, very informative and valuable to hear the views of local/international practitioners."

"A very good selection of academics, researchers, private company owners and NGO's. It definitely offered a balanced and varied insight into the different aspects and barriers in the Bioenergy debate."

Finalists selected for Americas Award 2007

Akiko Miyahara — 2007-12-12T18:15:26Z

Public Officials from the continent recognized for their extraordinary service in the accomplishing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Atlanta, USA, 1 October 2007. The International Training Center for Government Authorities (CIFAL Atlanta) announced today the names of the eight government officials to receive the Americas Award for Excellence in Public Service. The Jury Committee gathered in Washington D.C. on September 25 to evaluate more than one hundred nominations and selected exceptional individuals for their contribution to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The Jury Committee of the Americas Award was formed by CIFAL Atlanta, the Organizations of American States (OAS), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the Latin American Federation of Cities and Municipalities (FLACMA), the Metropolis International Institute, and the magazine America Economía.

The Americas Award is presented to public officials from national and local governments who have successfully implemented exemplary programs or best practices in order to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The Americas Award is presented in each of the areas of action of the MDGs. The Americas Award will be presented in a ceremony to be held on November 15 in the City of Atlanta in the United States of America. The names of the winners of Americas Award and the best practices for which they were recognized will be published in the magazine America Economía.

The Jury Committee decided to present the Americas Award to the following public officials:

Poverty Reduction Leadership Award
Carlos Arturo Betancur Castaño, Mayor, Itagüí, Colombia

Education Leadership Award
Enrique Doger Guerrero, President, Ayuntamiento de Puebla, México

Gender Equality Leadership Award
Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Head of Government, México City, México

Public Health Leadership Award: Child Mortality Reduction
Sergio Fajardo Valderrama, Alcalde del Municipio de Medellín, Colombia

Public Health Leadership Award: Maternal Health Improvement
Honorio Galvis Aguilar, Mayor, Bucaramanga, Colombia

Environmental Sustainability Leadership Award
Paco Moncayo Gallegos, Mayor, Quito, Ecuador

Public Health Leadership Award: HIV/AIDS Prevention and Reduction
Bautista Rojas Gomez, Secretary of State, Dominican Republic

Economic Development and Job Creation Leadership Award
Nathalie Cely Suarez, Minister of Social Development, Ecuador

Additionally, the Jury Committee will present a special award to an exceptional public official to recognize his leadership and service that continue to make a difference in his community and his country:

Special Americas Award for Excellence in Public Service
Honorable Andre Zacharow, Congressman (2003-2007), and President of the Public Hospital of the State of Paraná, Brazil

Official Press Release can be downloaded (PDF, 417 kb)

Discussing the first draft of the guidelines

Akiko Miyahara — 2007-11-29T15:32:10Z

Geneva, 20 November 2007. In the context of the UN-HABITAT Governing Council Resolution 21/4, “Guiding principles on access to basic services for all”, an Expert Group Meeting was jointly organized by UNITAR and UN-HABITAT in Geneva on the 20th November, 2007.

The target participants included international organizations, along with experts from Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Countries with Economies in Transition, and Developed countries. The meeting precisely gathered representatives of United Nations programmes and agencies, Governments, Associations of Cities, Foundations, Universities, Independent Experts, and the Private sector.

The objective of the meeting was to consult with varied experts on the first version of the ‘Draft guidelines on access to basic services for all', prepared by UNITAR and UN-HABITAT in response to the UN-HABITAT Governing Council Resolution 21/4. An account of the issues discussed, views expressed, and decisions reached, is presented in the attached minutes (PDF, 40kb) of the meeting which also contains the list of participants.

A second Expert Group Meeting will be organized in Nairobi in February 2008 to further the consultation process and will involve experts from Africa, the Least Developed Countries, Non-Governmental Organizations, and Grassroots organizations.

For further information, please contact Mr. Philippe Athanassiou at dcp< at >unitar.org Please replace < at > with @ when you type the address.

CIFAL Findhorn Global Climate Change and the Sustainable Energy Revolution

Alexis Roussel — 2007-10-24T15:46:48Z

The UNITAR affiliated training centre at Findhorn added to its successful series of training events with a seminar on 18th and 19th September that attracted delegates from as far afield as Norway and Nigeria.

Scotland and the United Kingdom were well represented too with participants from a wide range of organisations and business sectors including councils such as Clackmannanshire and West Lothian: numerous individuals involved with planning, building, policy, development and social enterprise; universities including the University of East London and the University of Birmingham: tourism such as the Outer Hebrides Tourism Industry and the Cairngorms National Park Authority; alternative energy projects like Dervaig Wind Farm; housing associations including Lochalsh & Skye as well as researchers and journalists.

In the context of recent key scientific findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which involved more than 1,200 authors and more than 2,500 reviewers from the climate science community in more than 130 countries, the 2- day training session explored technical, economic and political ways to regulate human activities and reduce the threat of global climate change.

Specific topics included Global Climate Change: The Evidence - Dr Gary Campbell, Lecturer at Moray College UHI; Global Climate Change: The Sustainable Energy Revolution - Alex Walker, Director of Findhorn Wind Park Ltd; Global Climate Change: The Empowerment of Communities Towards Renewable Energy Sourcing and Production - Nicholas Gubbins, Chief Executive with HICEC; Global Climate Change:Enforcing Change by Regulation - Donald Lunan, Planning and Development Manager with the Moray Council: Global Climate Change: Scotland Taking the Lead - Sue Kerns, Head Of Renewable Energy and Consents Policy, Scottish Executive and Global Climate Change: Financing the New Technologies – Peter Borges, Loan Manager, Triodos Bank.

Participants at the seminar had the opportunity to explore new solutions, compare new techniques and exchange ideas as well as making business and development agency contacts. They also had a chance to discuss projects with practitioners already working in the field of renewable energy.

Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy & Tourism who addressed the seminar via a live conference link, applauded the pioneering work undertaken at Findhorn Ecovillage. He promised that The Scottish Government would play its part by working together with local development agencies, environmental groups and a wide range of stakeholders. The MSP went on to say that he believed Scotland really can make a difference and that The Scottish Government's target will be an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

He stated that the decisions which are made now will have an impact for years to come. Secure energy supplies at affordable prices are needed for both individuals and business. He confirmed that clean renewable technology that will protect and respect the Scottish environment has to be made available.

He re-iterated that climate change is the single greatest challenge for the planet and the importance of taking action sooner rather than later.

A highlight of the seminar was a talk “Preventing Dangerous Climate Change” delivered by Aubrey Meyer, the world's foremost climate change expert. His invitation to address the seminar followed on from widespread recognition for his contribution to the debate on global warming, in particular for his science-based policy framework ‘Contraction and Convergence' .

In addition to core course activities, participants had the opportunity to visit the Findhorn wind park and solar panel factory and to see at first hand examples of sustainable living.

A follow-up evaluation of the event indicated that, on average, some 70% of those questioned rated all features of the seminar good or very good. Participants found the opportunity to network and make contact with other delegates one of the most useful aspects of the seminar. Likewise, the opportunity for interaction and debate with the speakers throughout the seminar was highly scored.

UNITAR and Veolia Environnement organize a side event on PPP

Akiko Miyahara — 2007-10-18T15:10:40Z

Jeju, Republic of Korea, 30 October 2007. Within the framework of the 2nd United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress 2007 in Jeju, Republic of Korea, UNITAR and its long-time partner, Veolia Environnement are organizing a side event on "Public Private Partnership for Local Capacity Development". The side event is planned to be held on October 30th from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm in room AGORA in the International Convention Center.

The objective of the side event is to demonstrate a successful partnership among an United Nations institute, a private company, international training centres and local authorities as a host city of CIFAL Centre, which aims at developing local capacity by promoting knowledge exchange and city-to-city, decentralized cooperation. This side event will illustrate how a Public-Private partnership can benefit all parties involved, by presenting different points of view and by drawing on concrete examples of past workshops.

Speakers include Mr. Dominique Héron, Vice President for Partnerships, Veolia Environnement, Mr. Alexander Mejia, Executive Director of CIFAL Atlanta, Mr. Simon Compaore, Mayor of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Mr. Jean Michel Daclin, Deputy Mayor of Lyon, France. Mr. Paco Moncayo, Mayor of Quito, Presidency of UCLG is also invited to speak.

For more information, please contact Ms. Akiko Miyahara at the following address: dcp< at >unitar.org (please replace < at > with @ when you type the address.)

Outcome of the needs-assessment and training workshops in Palestine

Alexis Roussel — 2007-10-01T13:14:15Z

Geneva, 1 October 2007. Within the framework of the joint Capacity Building Programme for Local Authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNITAR and UN-HABITAT organized a second mission to Palestine between the 26th August and the 14th September, 2007. A comprehensive account, of the purpose of the mission, the activities undertaken, and the priorities identified for subsequent action, is presented in the attached UNITAR mission report.

Following the activities undertaken within the context of this mission, the first stage of the Capacity Building Programme has been successfully concluded. Information on the implementation of the Programme's next stage will be made available on UNITAR's website on a regular basis.

For further information on the Capacity Building Programme, please contact Mr. Philippe ATHANASSIOU.

Reducing carbon emissions: the impact of climate change on business

Alexis Roussel — 2007-09-27T13:46:57Z

Edinburgh, 24 September 2007, Some of the UK's leading businesses gathered in Edinburgh on Monday for talks on carbon targets. Firms including Diageo, Aviva, Scottish Power and Liittlewoods attended the outreach event, hosted by Royal Bank of Scotland.

The seminar was organised by the UK Network of the UN Global Compact and CIFAL Findhorn with the aim of raising awareness of how to reduce carbon emissions.

Delegates heard from a range of keynote speakers including Nicolas Frizon de Lamotte, Senior Programme Coordinator, UNITAR and Soren Petersen, Head of UN Global Compact Network, Michael Spenley, Chairman of UK Network of UNGC and Michael Shaw, Director, The Ecovillage Institute.

The networking event focused on the impact of climate change on business and investment and the carbon emission reduction strategies which businesses can adopt.

The session was led by CIFAL Findhorn with a presentation that focused on how to establish a carbon baseline and ways of identifying direct and indirect emissions; how to consume less, manage the supply chain and how to make direct emissions carbon neutral. The session also embraced low carbon technologies and investigated the potential for low carbon operations. Advice was provided on energy efficiency, carbon technologies and other practical measures for business including grants, tax incentives and carbon trading.

Findhorn Ecovillage was adopted as a case study to illustrate best practice and a number of other case studies, including RBS and Aviva, were used as topics for group discussion and problem solving.

Assessing Training Needs in Palestinian Municipalities

Alexis Roussel — 2007-09-10T14:11:07Z

Geneva, 10 September 2007, UNITAR and UN-HABITAT are undertaking a second official mission, from the 26th August to the 14th September 2007, within the context of the Capacity Building Programme for Local Authorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This mission is designed to fulfil a number of imperative objectives:

1). A follow-up Training of Trainers Workshop will be conducted for Palestinian Trainers; former participants of the 2005 Training of Trainers and Pilot Workshop on Leadership and Management Skills for newly elected Palestinian Mayors held in Ismailia; and other selected participants including potential trainers from the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) and the Ministry of Local Government (MLG).
In addition, special sessions on Training Methods and Techniques will be organized for potential trainers from APLA and the MLG.

2). A focus-group meeting for Palestinian Mayors will be convened to determine mayors' training and capacity building needs based on their responsibilities and the particular challenges faced by them. This exercise will include a discussion on how the existing training and capacity building structures could support and enhance the performance of Palestinian Mayors.

3). A needs-assessment of the training needs and priorities of mayors and leaders will be undertaken through field visits to municipalities, and by visiting the operational training and capacity building institutions. This will enable UNITAR and UN-HABITAT to propose the most apposite solutions for the training needs of municipal authorities.

4). A Mayors' Workshop on Leadership and Management Skills for Palestinian Cities will also be organized for trainers, representatives of APLA and the MLG, and newly elected Mayors. The results of the mayors' workshop will be a significant tool for UNITAR and UN-HABITAT to determine the concrete process through which to support and enhance the performance of mayors and municipal staff.

5). Follow-up meetings will be scheduled with existing development partners to communicate the major project developments to them. Meetings will also be held with several potential development partners to present the capacity building programme and discuss the possibility of forging cooperative associations for its successful and timely implementation.

A detailed account of the mission and its outcomes will be made available on UNITAR's website soon after the conclusion of the mission.

For more information, please contact Mr. Philippe Athanassiou.