Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content

UrbanShift: Accelerating the Shift to Nature-Positive and Climate-Proof Urban Futures

The need for cities to transform their development trajectory has never been more urgent. For cities to make peace with nature and achieve a sustainable urban future that supports both people and the planet, business as usual is not an option. The UrbanShift programme supports more than 23 cities in building equitable, low-carbon futures and seeks to accelerate a movement of urban innovation among cities that reverberates around the world.

Irene Fagotto

Moderator

date June 29, 2022 | 14:30 - 16:00 (passed)
place
ICC: Voices from Cities Room A
organization
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
country
Global
language
Polish, Spanish, English, French + CART

Summary

The need for cities to transform their development trajectory has never been more urgent. Emissions are rising, cities being responsible for 70% of global greenhouse emissions, so are climate impacts on urban communities. For cities to make peace with nature and achieve a sustainable urban future that supports both people and the planet, business as usual is not an option: new planning and governance models are crucial, and we need to implement them with all hands-on deck. 

Nature-positive and climate-proof urban development can only be scaled up through multi-level governance, effective business models, and integrated approaches. The UrbanShift programme supports more than 23 cities in building equitable, low-carbon futures and seeks to accelerate a movement of urban innovation among cities that reverberates around the world. 

This session will showcase ongoing efforts to uptake approaches to urban development aligned with the need to take urgent climate action by UrbanShift cities and countries. It will highlight their leadership and ambition in building equitable, zero-carbon futures where both people and planet can thrive. The event will enable exchanges on best practices among cities and between local and national governments, across regions.

Objectives

  • Showcase best practices and leadership of UrbanShift cities and countries
  • Enable exchanges of best practices and lessons learned vertically and horizontally
  • Raise ambition of local and national governments in delivering transformational action on sustainable urbanisation practices that support nature positive urban development, climate mitigation, and increased resilience for urban communities
  • Highlight opportunity of sustainable urbanisation as a contribution to climate ambition, a green and resilient recovery, and the achievement of the SDGs

Session panelists

Panelist
Role
Organization
Country
Ms Sharon Gil
Programme Officer
UN Environment Programme
Mr Rogier van den Berg
Acting Global Director
WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Mr Aloke Barnwal
Senior Climate Change Specialist
Global Environment Facility
Mr Modesto Alpízar
Mayor
City of Alajuelita
Dr Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar
Chair Urban Resilience – Global Resilience Cities Network
National Institute of Urban Affairs
Mr Nourdine Brine
Directeur régional de l'environnement
Region of Marrakech Safi
Mrs Priscilla Negreiros
Project Manager, Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance
Climate Policy Initiative
Ms Sharon Dijksma
Mayor
City of Utrecht
Mr Yunus Arikan
Director of Global Advocacy
ICLEI
Ms Sonja Leighton-Kone
Acting Deputy Executive Director
UN Environment Programme