United Nations Environment Programme
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Online event
Launch of UrbanShift: Transforming Cities for People and Planet through Integrated Urban Development
21 September 2021
- Overview
- Agenda
- Contact
Date & Time: 21st September 2021, 8:00am - 9:30am EDT
Location: Virtual – part of New York City Climate Week 2021
Registration link: https://wri.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HyXC-xnfTUCzPySupCLWLg
Cities are home to 4.2 billion people – more than half of the world’s population. These bustling human habitats are where our daily struggles unfold, where we strive to build a better future for ourselves and our families. But cities today face extraordinary challenges, from floods, storms and heatwaves triggered by the climate crisis to hazardous air quality, lack of affordable housing and deep social divides.
How can integrated planning approaches tackle complex urban challenges to ensure a just, livable future for all?
Join us on September 21 during Climate Week NYC to discuss this pressing question. You’ll learn from experts about holistic solutions and strategies to combat urban environmental crises, such as pollution and biodiversity loss. You’ll also hear from local leaders in India, Sierra Leone, and Argentina on how cross-sectoral collaboration is spurring low-carbon growth within their cities.
This event will mark the official launch of UrbanShift, a global program working to transform cities for people and planet through integrated urban development. UrbanShift is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI), C40 Cities (C40), ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
This event will be live-streamed in the following languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian Bahasa and Mandarin Chinese.
To learn more about UrbanShift, please visit: https://www.shiftcities.org/
Date & Time: 21st September 2021, 8:00am - 9:30am EDT
Registration Link: https://wri.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HyXC-xnfTUCzPySupCLWLg
Moderator: Martina Otto, Head of the Cities Unit, United Nations Environment Programme
Opening Keynotes (15 min)
- Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme
- Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
UrbanShift: Why cities matter (8 min)
- Aniruddha Dasgupta, President and CEO, World Resources Institute
UrbanShift teaser video: (2 min)
High-level panel discussion (40 min)
Facilitator: Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40 Cities
- Yvonne Denise Aki-Sawyerr, OBE, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Hitesh Vaidya, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), India
- Claire O'Neill, Managing Director, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
- Walter Vuoto, Mayor of Ushuaia, Argentina
Q&A and Wrap Up from Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40 Cities (10 min)
Closing panel (20 min)
Facilitator: Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, ICLEI
- Neeta Pokhrel, Chief, Water Sector Group, Asian Development Bank (TBC)
- Srilata Kammila, Head – Climate Change Adaptation, Nature, Climate and Energy Bureau for Policy and Programme Support/Global Policy Network, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Maitreyi Bordia Das, Practice Manager for the Global Programs Unit, Urban, DRM, Resilience and Land Global Practice (GPURL), the World Bank
Special remarks from Gustavo Fonseca, Director of Programmes, GEF (5 min)
Wrap Up and Closing Remarks from Gino Van Begin, Secretary General ICLEI (5 min)
Elsa Lefevre, Programme Management Officer, Cities Unit, UNEP: elsa.lefevre@un.org
Sophie Loran, Communications Officer, Energy & Climate Branch, UNEP: sophie.loran@un.org
Manal Khan, Communications Lead, UrbanShift: Manal.Khan@wri.org
