RESOURCES/FEATURED STORIES

Highlights of ADP Technical Expert Meeting on Urban Environment

20 June 2016
The technical expert meeting on the urban environment was held in Bonn, Germany on June 10, 2014 during the UN Climate Change Conference. Representatives of cities, international organizations, international partnerships and civil society organizations met and discussed capitalizing on opportunities that cities face in moving towards low-carbon pathways while creating sustainable, competitive, livable and inclusive urban space for their constituents.  The critical importance of policy frameworks, good governance, financing, and vision and leadership at the city level was discussed. The

The technical expert meeting on the urban environment was held in Bonn, Germany on June 10, 2014 during the UN Climate Change Conference. Representatives of cities, international organizations, international partnerships and civil society organizations met and discussed capitalizing on opportunities that cities face in moving towards low-carbon pathways while creating sustainable, competitive, livable and inclusive urban space for their constituents.  The critical importance of policy frameworks, good governance, financing, and vision and leadership at the city level was discussed.

The meeting was complemented by the Forum on experiences and best practices of Cities and Subnational Authorities. The Forum allowed for the showcasing of specific initiatives, good practices and policy options and focused in more detail on the role of planning in creating an enabling environment for action.

Worldwide, funding for climate action is increasing with major financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Global Environment Facility launching financial assistance programs specifically for local and subnational governments.
However, according to the World Bank estimates, only a small percentage of the 500 largest cities in the developing countries are considered creditworthy - about 4% by international financial markets and 20% by local markets. Lima, Peru, the host of the upcoming UN Climate Conference, is one of the few developing cities that has already achieved a credit-worthy status.

The World Bank and PPIAF’s Sub-National Technical Assistance Program has organized two "Creditworthiness Academies"  for municipal experts to help them improve their credit ratings. The first event took place in Nairobi, Kenya while the second one took place in Seoul in April 2014. World Bank and partners working to improve credit ratings for cities were commended for their efforts and encouraged to continue to support cities in achieving creditworthiness and facilitate the demonstration of sustainable cities and scaling up of good practices.