Day 6 at Bali Meeting: UN HABITAT strategy on cities in climate change

L-R: Marco Keiner, UN HABITAT; Andy Reisinger, IPCC; Sylvie Lemmet, UNEP; Robert de Jong, UNEP; Ambika Chawla, UN HABITAT Youth Representative; and Axumite Gebre-Egziabher, UN Human Settlements Programme.

Axumite Gebre-Egziabher, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN HABITAT), presented UN HABITAT’s mandate to promote sustainable urban development and adequate shelter for all, and stressed its local-level focus.

Marco Keiner, UN HABITAT, emphasized that cities are the biggest contributors to, and most impacted by, climate change and that they must be involved in the solutions. He outlined UN HABITAT’s strategy on cities in climate change.

Sylvie Lemmet, UNEP, welcomed UN HABITAT’s focus on the resilience of cities. She suggested that significant emission reductions, particularly in buildings, can be achieved with available technology and that, while national regulations are necessary, “true commitment” will come from cities.

Andy Reisinger, IPCC, stressed the need to understand disagreements between climate model predictions when they are used for risk planning. He highlighted the long lifetimes of buildings and urban settlements and cautioned against infrastructural lock-in.

Ambika Chawla, UN HABITAT Youth Representative, encouraged the inclusion and support of youth in addressing climate change in urban areas.

Robert de Jong, UNEP, underlined the importance of addressing resource use in cities and the natural link between UNEP and UN HABITAT in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban areas, particularly in developing countries.

Participants discussed local versus national-level responsibilities and resilience versus adaptation. They agreed on the importance of working with secondary cities and recommended focusing on multi-level governance and multi-hazard approaches.

More information
http://www.unhabitat.org
http://www.unep.org/dpdl/urban_environment
http://www.ipcc.ch

Contacts
Axumite Gebre-Egziabher <axumiteg@un.org>
Marco Keiner <marco.keiner@unhabitat.org>
Sylvie Lemmet <slemmet@unep.fr>
Andy Reisinger <andy.reisinger@teri.res.in>
Robert de Jong <rob.jong@unep.org>
Ambika Chawla <ambika_tierra@yahoo.com>

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