Kampala Regional Forum on Inclusive and Resilient Cities

The Regional Forum on Inclusive and Resilient Cities connects actors, knowledge, and experiences from the Cities Alliance Global Programme on Cities and Migration and the Cities Alliance Country Programme in Uganda for a two-day forum in Kampala, Uganda, from 29-30 March 2022.

It convenes ministerial and city stakeholders from Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and the host country, Uganda, to share experiences and knowledge on how cities can increase spatial, economic, and social inclusion of all residents. 

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 1: Tuesday, 29 March 2022
 

• Technical Session 1: Sustainable Urbanisation, Housing and Green Cities. Overview of Sustainable Urbanisation,  Samuel Mabala, Cities Alliance; Resilient Incremental Housing and Services in Existing Informal Settlements,  Julian Baskin, Cities Alliance; Safeguards in Infrastructure Projects No One Worse Off, Deborah Asikeit, Cities Alliance. 
• Technical Session 2: Planning for the Future. Mobilising Existing Local Capacities for Resilient Planning before Settlement Takes Place, Patrick Lamson-Hall, Urban Planner and Research Scholar, New York University; Screening of the New York University video How They Do It in Ethiopia: Making Room for Cities to Grow. 

• Technical Session 3: Progress in Urban Expansion Planning in Four Ugandan Cities. Progress reports by Arua City, Mbale, Jinja, and Gulu and on their urban expansion plans, approval stage, and financing of implementation. 13:45 – 16:30 EAT

• Summary Reflection of Day 1. Martin Onyach Olaa, Senior Urban Specialist, World Bank Uganda, and representative of AfDB 

DAY 2: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
 

• Technical Session 1: Migrants, Markets And Mayors – Rising Above the Employment Challenge in Africa’s Secondary Cities. Luc Christaensen, Senior Economist, World Bank, based on a knowledge product produced for the Cities Alliance Cities and Migration Programme.

• Technical Session 2: Jobs in Secondary Cities. Impact Investment – A New Frontier for Secondary Cities, Danny Cutherell, Refugee Investment Network, Africa Director; Equitable Economic Growth in Secondary Cities, Dmitry Pozhidaev, UNCDF; Diaspora Engagement and Financial Inclusion, Abdiaziz Hasan, CEO Rays Microfinance, Ethiopia.

• Technical Session 3: Urban Refugees and IDPs In Secondary Cities: Case Studies of Crisis Migration, Urbanisation, and Governance. Evan Easton-Calabria, Senior Research Officer Refugee Studies Centre, the University of Oxford;  Getting the Data Right: The Experience of Collecting Refugee Data in a Secondary City for the First Time, Hon. Wadri Sam Nyakua, Mayor of Arua City, Joanita.Nanyunja, AVSI Foundation, and Helen Nviiri, Ugandan Bureau of Statistics.

• Testimonies from Secondary Cities in Ethiopia and Kenya. The integration of migrants in Adama, Ethiopia, Mehamed Guye Ararso, Deputy Mayor of Adama, and Habtamu Kebu, Professor, Adama University; the integration of refugees in Kakuma, Kenya, Hon. Alex Flemings Losikiria, Turkana County Minister for Lands, Energy, Housing and Urban Area Management, and David Kitenge, UN-Habitat. 

• Way Forward: A Campaign for Secondary Cities Situated in Refugee Contexts. Drawing Attention to Secondary Cities’ Needs to Receive and Integrate Refugees in the Horn of Africa, Jeff Crisp, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford; Open dialogue with inputs from local authorities from the West Nile region and strategies to increase the mandate and capacities of secondary cities hosting refugees in Uganda.

• Closing Remarks. Government of Uganda, UCLG Africa, IGAD, SDC, EU