V. Urban ecology and environment

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V. Urban ecology and environment

Urban ecology refers to the intersection of natural and human-built environments and socio-economic aspects. It's a fact within the last 50 years, the ecosystems have changed more rapidly and dynamically than in any other time in history.  The biodiversity that makes human life and well-being possible are at risk nowadays more than ever before.

Unsustainable development has resulted in the irreversible loss of biodiversity: approximately 60% of the ecosystems examined during the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005 were being degraded or used in an unsustainable way. Among the tools to reverse this situation, the aspects of resilience and urban ecosystems, policies to tackle climate change, manage natural resources and risks caused by natural disasters are crucial.

 

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The World Urban Forum will return to the African continent after more than 20 years since it was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002. This event is considered a high-level, open, and inclusive platform convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to address the challenges of sustainable urbanization. This year, the Twelfth Session will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from November 4 to 9, 2024.

MINURVI Ministerial Meeting (Brazil, 2024)

Event type
Conference
Logo de MINURVI

Logo de MINURVI

Event information

Start date
End date
Event type
Conference
Modality
In-person

Attachments

Concept_note_and_Agenda_MINURVI_2024_EN.pdf
Nota_conceptual_y_Agenda_MINURVI_2024_ES.pdf
Description

The meeting of the Forum of Ministers and Highest Authorities of Housing and Urbanism of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI): Climate Resilience and Sustainable Growth in Human Settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean, will be held on Thursday, August 1, and Friday, August 2, 2024, in Brasília, Brazil. The meeting will primarily focus on climate resilience and sustainable growth in human settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the event, topics will include biodiversity and climate change resilience in human settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean, Build Back Better: an approach to post-disaster recovery for more resilient cities, and land and climate change. Additionally, a ministerial debate will be held to exchange and share experiences, best practices, and proposals to promote urban resilience.

The meeting will feature a diverse group of participants, including ministers and high-level authorities from Latin American and Caribbean countries, academics, and civil society representatives to foster a richer discussion.

The National Council for Territorial Development of Chile (CNDT) is in the process of updating the country’s National Urban Development Policy. In this context, and in response to a request for support in identifying best practices and international experiences, ECLAC has facilitated exchanges between CNDT members and counterparts in Malaysia and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Forum of Mayors, a subsidiary organ of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), has emerged as an innovative multilateral space that gives a leading role to the local governments involved. There have been three editions of the event so far, with the upcoming fourth edition set to take place from September 30th to October 1st at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, under the theme “Future Cities Summit.”

Regional Workshop on Accelerating SDG Implementation: the role of Voluntary National and Local Reviews

Event type
Workshop
Regional Workshop on Accelerating SDG Implementation: the role of Voluntary National and Local Reviews

Regional Workshop on Accelerating SDG Implementation: the role of Voluntary National and Local Reviews

Event information

Start date
End date
Event type
Workshop
Modality
In-person Enrique V. Iglesias Room, ECLAC Headquarters Santiago de Chile
Description
Seventh Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.

In the framework of the Seventh Meeting of the Forum of Latin American and Caribbean Countries on Sustainable Development to be held in person at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago from 15 to 18 April 2024, ECLAC together with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) are organizing this event to discuss and reflect on the opportunity presented by the development of voluntary local reviews to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Participants in this workshop will include national and local authorities from the Latin American and Caribbean region who have been involved in SDG territorialization efforts, as well as in the preparation of the Local and National Voluntary Reviews; Resident Coordinators of the UN system and representatives of their offices, and other UN system officials, particularly from DESA and ECLAC, as well as other stakeholders, including civil society and academia.

The overall objective of the event is to promote dialogue and reflection on the opportunity represented by the elaboration of voluntary local reviews for the strengthening of intersectoral, multilevel, multi-stakeholder and long-term governance.

Urban mobility performs fundamental social and economic functions such as providing access to essential opportunities and services in cities. In a region characterized by inequality, deficiencies in public transport systems disproportionately impact the most vulnerable. Only 43% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean has convenient access to public transportation, and its users spend 70% more time commuting to work compared to those who use private vehicles (on average, 70 and 42 minutes, respectively, according to mobility surveys in six cities in the region).

The XXXII MINURVI General Assembly was preceded on the 8th of November 2023 by a meeting in Buenos Aires between local and national authorities called "Towards Inclusive, Sustainable and Smart Cities: A National - Local Dialogue". This dialogue was organised by ECLAC's Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division, to discuss the articulation between different levels of government in terms of urban policy, highlighting the importance of land, urban operators and joint planning for housing and sustainable mobility.

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