Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka recently highlighted UN-HABITAT’s partnerships with international organisations, including the Cities Alliance, to help cities address climate change.
In a May 19 address to the third C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Mrs. Tibaijuka stressed that 2009 is a critical year for cities to determine their role in addressing climate change.
“The way we plan, manage, operate and consume energy in our cities is the key driver behind the phenomenon of global warming,” Mrs. Tibaijuka said.
“Municipalities cannot fight this battle alone. They must have the backing of government and the business sector, especially in these times of financial crisis.”
To help cities take action, UN-HABITAT has developed partnerships with “the Cities Alliance, the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme, to develop a climate change inventory which we hope will soon cover 400 cities assessing their climate footprint as well as their climate change vulnerability,” she said.
The climate change inventory is part of a joint work programme between the Cities Alliance, the World Bank, UN-HABITAT and UNEP that aims to facilitate a coordinated, focused effort targeting cities and climate change.
In addition to the climate change inventory, other deliverables for the joint work programme include an online catalogue to facilitate access to knowledge on cities and climate change; tools for incorporating climate change into city development strategies (CDS); and a handbook for mayors on climate change adaptation and mitigation in cities.
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