https://enb.iisd.org/2nd-UNEA-cities-regions-summit-summary
Cities are hubs of innovation and opportunity. They can showcase innovative solutions to how we live and manage our lives and infrastructure with nature in mind, underscoring cities as champions of nature. The Summit considered these issues in light of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It assessed the levers of change, ranging from local to global and from policy to finance.
The programme included:
- A high-level opening session, outlining the objectives and ambition of the Summit;
- Two thematic sessions on ‘Urban Nature-Based Solutions to Counter Climate Risks and Limit Global Warming’ and ‘Leveraging Sustainable Food Systems for Nature-Positive Cities’; and
- A high-level closing session on how to scale up solutions to harness the power of nature in cities.
This event was hosted under the umbrella of the Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” the framework of the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration, and the Edinburgh Process under the CBD.
Key messages emerging from these sessions included:
- cities are key to connect global goals with the needs of the people on the ground and mobilize local communities;
- NbS can be an entry point for local governments to address global goals and are key to future urban development;
- designing and urban planning must move towards “growing with, not against, nature”;
- implementation of NbS requires effective multi-level governance and multi-stakeholder approaches;
- urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) can be an effective tool to achieve a transformation in food systems; and
- networks and ongoing initiatives such as the Coalition on Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Food Systems continue to be critical in exchanging best practices and lessons learned.
The think piece, Urban Agriculture: A Natural Resource Perspective, was also launched during the session, with Izabella Teixeira, Co-Chair, International Resource Panel, highlighting key policy recommendations. Other publications highlighted during the session included the UNEP publications, Smart, Sustainable and Resilient cities: the Power of Nature-based Solution and Beating the Heat: A Sustainable Cooling Handbook for Cities.
The Summit, which convened virtually under the theme “Flip the Script: Cities and Nature,” was held on 23 February 2022. The Summit was hosted under the umbrella of: the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) on “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”; the framework of the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration; and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Edinburgh Process for Subnational and Local Governments on the Development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
The second UNEA Cities and Regions Summit was organized by UNEP, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the UN Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), WWF, and World Resources Institute (WRI). The outcomes of the Summit will be presented to the UNEA-5.2 plenary on 2 March 2022.
The inaugural UNEA Cities Summit convened during UNEA-4 on 13 March under the theme “Innovation for Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Multi-level and Integrated Urban Systems.” Key messages from the first Summit included that: engaging communities is needed to create sustainable cities; citizens should be included at all levels of policy, planning, and decision making; and a lack of urban infrastructure in many places provides an opportunity for future proof investment. Participants also discussed the need for circularity, good governance, integration, technology, and financial readiness.
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