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February 3, 2020
UNESCO Cities, Innovative Hubs for Local Sustainable Development" - Panel Discussion at ChangeNOW Summit 2020.
Photo: Celebration of International Education Day at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. 24 January 2020. Image provided by and copyright © UNESCO/Christelle ALIX.
Paris, France, 2 February 2020 — The international Summit ChangeNOW was held under the emblematic glass dome of the Grand Palais in Paris from 30 January to 1 February 2020. It gathered hundreds of urban actors and solution-makers from around the world. They all shared their experiences and responses to shape a better urban future for the Planet.
During the Summit, there was a panel “UNESCO cities: innovative hubs for local sustainable development” held on 31 January. In that discussion, UNESCO presented its UNESCO Cities Platform (UCP), which comprises eight programs and networks of cities across the areas of education, the sciences, culture and communication, and information. Commenting on UCP, Denise Bax of UNESCO Culture Sector said that the Platform strengthens synergies through a shared vision and actions among the Organization’s cities programs and networks.
UNESCO representatives illustrated innovative urban practices to highlight the Organization’s transversal work on and with cities. They explained how the UNESCO Cities Platform (UCP) works for cultural heritage, lifelong learning, natural resources management, creativity, technologies, and social inclusion.
UNESCO representatives shared concrete experiences from partner cities. That included the rehabilitation of the river in Manila (Philippines), the urban flood management in Bangalore (India), innovative educational programs in Hamburg (Germany), participatory platforms for social change in York (United Kingdom), and the linkages between heritage and urban regeneration in Fez (Morocco).
The special guest of the panel, Ms. Lucienne Redercher, Vice-Mayor of Nancy (France) and Vice-President of the European Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities (ECCAR), emphasized the need to re-humanize cities, by reconnecting them with the people who live there. “We need to unite before acting and think together to build the future,” she articulated during her intervention on the initiatives for social inclusion implemented in Nancy.
In line with the UN Agenda 2030, ChangeNOW 2020 focuses on eight action areas to tackle the world’s urgent environmental and social needs. It addresses issues such as clean air and clean water, health and food security, sustainable and accessible energy, biodiversity, sustainable consumption and production, global citizenship education, and well-being.
ChangeNOW 2020 provided a significant opportunity for cities, partners, and stakeholders to discuss and raise awareness of the most pressing urban challenges. The forum advocated a people-centered and place-based urban development approach equipped with innovative urban solutions from around the world.
Photo: “One Planet, One Ocean” open forum at “Unesco Campus,” UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. 31 January 2020. Image provided by and copyright © UNESCO/Christelle ALIX.
• Diversity of Cultural Expressions Committee to focus on investing in creativity and creative digital content.
The annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee that oversees the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions will take place at UNESCO’s Headquarters, from 11 to 14 February.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD), former beneficiaries will discuss the importance of investing in creativity and the long-term impacts of their projects. Discussants will highlight how such investments foster the means to create, produce, distribute, and have access to a diversity of cultural expressions.
This debate will address challenges in accessing cultural and creative content in the digital environment and making informed choices in the face of increasing content. Participants will explore how online distribution platforms are revolutionizing the entire value chain, from creation to consumption, and why access to a wide variety of cultural content is a prerequisite for the emergence of new sustainable business models for the cultural and creative industries.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
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