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  2. [2023] 2023 International Mayors Forum

[2023] 2023 International Mayors Forum

Tuesday, 25 April 2023 - 9:00am to Friday, 28 April 2023 - 6:00pm

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEW DATES OF THE FORUM IS 25- 28 APRIL, 2023  

Documents

CONCEPT NOTE & AGENDA (updated as of 26 February 2023)

NOTE CONCEPTUELLE & AGENDA (mis à jour le 21 Avril 2023)

AGENDA (updated as of 27 April 2023)

FORUM KEY TAKEAWAYS (updated as of 29 April 2023)

PARTICIPANT LIST (updated as of 9 May 2023)

 

Background

Established in 2011, the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) is part of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). UNOSD contributes to building, exchanging, and facilitating the use of knowledge in support of sustainable development.

Over the recent years, UNOSD has organized various capacity building activities and events in support of the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs, including preparatory meetings for international conferences and events such as the United Nations high-level political forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as well as trainings, expert group meetings and fora where national policymakers could learn from and interact with each other, practitioners, experts, scholars, civil society, the private sector and representatives from regional and international organisations, including the United Nations.

More recently, UNOSD has undertaken a series of activities targeting subnational authorities, including mayors and senior city management officials and supporting the implementation of the SDGs at local level. These include the first International Mayors’ Forum co-organized by UNOSD and the United Nations Office for Regional Development (UNCRD, Nagoya, Japan) that was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR in March 2017, where close to 70 mayors, leaders and representatives of local governments from around the world presented experiences of their cities and discussed key questions and issues related to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 11 focusing on Making Cities and Human Settlements Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable.

In May 2018, a second Mayor International Forum took place in Lilongwe, Malawi, where the central role of cities in making societies sustainable and resilient and of local governments in implementing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs was reiterated. Beyond discussing the challenges, the Forum also showcased successful experiences of SDG implementation at local level, such as Incheon City, South Korea, a country that has transitioned from recipient to donor of official development assistance (ODA) and from being predominantly rural to highly urbanized (above 90 per cent urbanised today) over a very short period. The Forum also discussed the importance of sustaining and reinforcing efforts to develop mayors and city leaders’ skills, knowledge and capacity to deliver on Goal 11 in making their cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable as well as on the other SDGs at local level.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent editions of the International Mayors’ Forum were organized virtually in 2020 and in January 2022. The International Mayors’ Forum to be held in Dakar, Senegal is therefore an opportunity for UNOSD to have in person interactions with its traditional international stakeholders while also being accessible to the wider audience through real-time web audio and video conferencing throughout the Forum.

 

Forum Objectives and Contents

The main objective of the International Mayors’ Forum in Dakar is to provide a platform for policy dialogue and knowledge sharing through presentations and discussions on key aspects related to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and other international frameworks and agreement such as the Paris Agreement at local level.

In line with the 2023 high-level political forum, the International Mayors’ Forum will strive to support local and regional governments and communities to share experiences, lessons learned and good practices, particularly with regard to the implementation of SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17 and trigger the in-depth transformation needed to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the local and regional levels.

 

Methodology

The Forum, taking place in an hybrid (in-person and virtual) format, will consist of several interrelated modules, each covering concepts and issues of Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, particularly SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17 at local level, and its interlinkages with other related SDGs and other internationally agreed agendas such as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework and the New Urban Agenda.

It will consist of formal presentations by international experts, scholars, mayors, and practitioners followed by Q&A and discussions. A half-day field trip to visit projects that reflect the Senegalese experience in implementing the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs is foreseen.

 

Target Audience

The Forum will bring together an international audience composed of mayors and other leaders of local governments from developing and developed countries, representatives of regional and international organizations, including the United Nations, international experts and other stakeholders who will discuss successes and challenges, policy options, programmes, practices, initiatives as well as actions undertaken at local level helping in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17, the interlinkages between them and with other SDGs, and their interlinkages and complementarities with other adopted international agreements.

The Forum will particularly promote and encourage participation of representatives from countries in special situation, particularly African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations, most of which also being part of UNOSD’s priorities.

 

Dates and Venue

The Forum will take place in Dakar, Senegal from 25 to 28 April 2023.The venue will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.

 

Language

The Forum will be conducted in English and French. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in these two languages.

 

Programme and Agenda

Day 1 (25 April 2023)

Opening of the Forum 

Welcome Remarks:  

  • Mr. Amson Sibanda, Chief, National Strategies and Capacity Building Branch, DSDG, UN DESA
  • Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head of Office, United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD)
  • Mr. Kazushige Endo, Director, United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD)
  • Ms. Aminata Maiga, UN Resident Coordinator, Senegal - delivered by Mr. Demba Done, UNAIDS Representative
  • Mr. Mamadou Talla, Minister of Territorial Communities, Planning and Territorial Development, Senegal - delivered by Ms. Fatou Bintou Camara, Director of Local Government

Outline of Mayors' Forum:

  • Ms. Yujeong Kim, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD

 

Session 2: Implementing the SDGs at the subnational levels

Moderator: Mr. Amson Sibanda, Chief, National Strategies and Capacity Building Branch, Division for Sustainable Development Goals, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)

Speakers:  

Discussion and Short Summary

 

Session 3: Goal 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation

Moderator: Ms. Yujeong Kim, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary

 

Session 4: Goal 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

Moderator: Mr. Samson Kassahun Belachew, Professor of Urban Planning and the Development at the Ethiopian Civil Service University

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary

 

Day 2 (26 April 2023)

Session 5: Goal 9 - Resilient Infrastructure, Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization, and Innovation

Moderator: Ms. Lichia Saner-Yiu, Professor, Organisation Development & Institutional Learning, President of the Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development – CSEND) 

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary by Rapporteur   

 

Session 6: Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Moderator: Ms. Kerstin Sommer, Programme Manager, the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme – PSUP, UN-Habitat 

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary by Rapporteur

 

Session 7: Challenges and solutions to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of cities, reducing disaster risks and building resilience

Moderator: Ms. Jorgelina Hardoy, Deputy Director, International Institute for Environment and Development - IIED Latin America

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary by Rapporteur

 

Day 3 (27 April 2023)

Session 8: Enhancing infrastructure asset management at national and local government levels for Improved service delivery and sustainable Development

Moderator: Mr. Kazushige Endo, Director, UN Centre for Regional Development

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary by Rapporteur

 

Session 9: Means of Implementation and the Global Partnership

Moderator: Mr. Raymond Saner, Professor Titular, Organisation and International Management, Basle University 

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary by Rapporteur  

 

Day 4 (28 April 2023)

Session 10: Governance

Moderator: Ms. Abiodun Essiet, Director, WeGO Africa Regional Office, Abuja, Nigeria

Speakers:  

Discussion and short summary by Moderator

 

Session 11: Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead

Speakers:  

  • Ms. Yujeong Kim, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD 
    • Summary of the International Mayors Forum
    • The Way Forward: Mayors' Perspective Group Discussion

 

Session 12: Closing of the Forum

Closing Remarks

  • Mr. Amson Sibanda, Chief, National Strategies and Capacity Building Branch, Division for Sustainable Development Goals, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)  
  • Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head of Office, UNOSD
  • Mr. Oumar Ba, Head of Mayor Association of Senegal - delivered by Mayor Bacar Dia of Bokiladji, Senegal

 

Organisers

The 2023 International Mayors' Forum is co-organized by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) of UN DESA, Division for Sustainable Development Goals (UN DESA-DSDG).

 

Contact Information

For any questions or comments about the forum, please contact Ms. Yujeong Kim, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD at yujeong.kim@un.org, Ms. Ilae Kim, Programme Management Assistant, UNOSD at kim23@un.org, Mr. Huiyong Kim, Administrative Assistant, UNOSD at hui.kim@un.org, and Ms. Nana Urakami, Researcher, UNCRD at nurakami@uncrd.or.jp