It’s been an action-packed year at Cities Alliance and you can read all about it in The Cities Alliance 2011 Annual Report: A Strengthened Partnership for Inclusive Cities. The Report, released in January, defines the new strategic decisions and road map adopted by the Alliance to revitalise its operations. This follows the adoption of a new Charter at the Consultative Group meeting in Mexico City in November 2010.
The period under review was one of consolidation and focused direction for the Alliance predicted on the Charter and its repositioning as a “global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development.” Other highlights include:
- Over US $12.3 million of funding allocations approved during the year under review, with most of the approved funding (US $8.3 million) going to country/regional projects.
- Nearly 44 per cent of the country and regional approvals were for Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting an increased prioritisation of the region as agreed by the Cities Alliance membership at its Mexico City meeting. The remainder was used to fund global knowledge and communication activities and the costs of the Cities Alliance Secretariat.
A unique feature of this year’s report is its publication as a web based multimedia document featuring video introductory messages from Cities Alliance Manager William Cobbett as well as Steve Weir of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and Zoubida Allaoua, Director, Finance Economics and Urban at the World Bank Group. It also features a more succinct presentation of the Annual Report chapters, as well as links to downloading the full report.
