LAMG statement for Second Intercessional 15-16 December 2012.
Session 1
Delivered by Emilia Sáiz
Director of Cabinet of United Cities and Local Governments
Role of Local and Regional Authorities
· At a moment where half the humanity lives and works in cities around
the world, the role of sub-national levels of governments in the global
agenda is increasingly acknowledged. We are pleased to see growing
recognition of the importance of sustainable cities in the Rio+20
preparations. It is still to be broadly understood however that
sustainable cities is not only a sectorial issue. It is about the success
of humanity.
Governance: key to debate
· We are grateful for the efforts made to ensure inputs from the Local
Authority major group. We hope that this preparatory process will
lead us to a significant step forward in our formal participation in the
future Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development
· Increasing demonstrations of citizens in cities around the world
demonstrate that the governance models at all levels need to be
changed, participation needs to be improved, particularly of women.
We cannot keep working within the existing structures if we want to be
successful. The institutional framework for sustainable development
has to be improved at local, national and global level.
· Local and regional authorities are much in favor of an integrated
framework for assessing sustainable development.
· Whatever format IFSD is to take, we will want to see a full
participation of major groups and of course special recognition of local
and regional authorities as a sphere of government with a particular
role to play, at national, regional and world level. Subnational
governments are crucial for successful implementation and should also
have a voice in global policy making.
· UNEP and UN Habitat should be strengthened in order to ensure
effective global organizational settings are in place to deal with the
environment and human settlements, respectively.
· To ensure coherence among social, economic and environmental
matters, the creation of a Council on Sustainable Development would
be one option.
· We agree to move beyond GDP. Future measure mechanisms should
include regional, national and local levels.
· Increased capacity and competencies of local and regional
governments will be instrumental for both the definition and
implementation of any agenda that we agree upon.
Green Economy and Green Urban Economy
· The special role and importance of sustainable cities and green urban
economies should be included in the outcome document on Green
Economy.
Sustainable Development Goals and Integrated Framework
· Cities, local and regional authorities and their associations are ready
and willing to support the definition and implementation of the SDGs
developed around basic services. It is after all in the cities (big and
small) in the metropolitan areas and regional authorities that many
services such as education, culture, water, energy and waste are
provided.
· SDGs should be closely linked with the Millennium Development Goals.
We particularly support the idea to have an SDG on sustainable urban
development strategies.
