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SESSION DESCRIPTION
C1
Cities Learn Best from Each Other! The
importance and benefits of local government
networks
Panel discussion
(Followed by an Open Consultation Session)
Date: Tuesday, 09 June, 2015
Time: 11:00-13:45
Rooms: S34/35
Language:
Contact:
English
Josephine Lee, [email protected]
Anne Doose, [email protected]
Jessica Baier, [email protected]
Organized by: International City/County Management
Association; GIZ; Engagement Global
OBJECTIVE
Horizontal exchange between cities has proven itself as a powerful tool for sharing and implementing
successful practices and strengthening capacity, particularly when high-cost technical solutions are not
always attainable, nor often practical.
This session provided an opportunity to discuss with practitioners the challenges and opportunities in
locally, nationally, and internationally coordinated local government networks that contribute to locally
relevant and resilient urban development. It also aimed to be an in-depth conversation on innovative
climate governance models, how to develop solution-based relationships, which strategies are working
and, equally important, which are not working.
Following the panel, there was an open consultation session where the panelists proposed challenges
faced by their respective institutions and the audience acted as a peer advisory group for the speakers
by discussing the challenges and proposing solutions to them. Snacks and refreshments were
provided.
OUTCOMES
Participants gained a better understanding of:

The role and potential contribution of city networks, associations, and compact models for
developing more resilient cities;

Possible challenges of city networks and ways to overcome them through their active
contribution in the peer advisory groups;

Specific issues that are raised and discussed in the peer advisory groups; and

The necessary insights to pursue partnerships and use compact models in the future.
METHODOLOGY

The facilitator opened the session with a short introduction of the panel and open consultation
setup. (5 minutes)

Panel 1 (50 minutes):

o
The panel began with a short introduction from the facilitator of Panel 1 (5 minutes)
o
Each Panel 1 speaker were given time to describe their work (3 x 10 minutes)
o
The facilitator managed questions and answers from the audience (8 minutes)
Panel 2 (50 minutes):
o
The panel began with a short introduction from the facilitator of Panel 2 (5 minutes)
o
Each Panel 2 speakers were given time to describe their work (2 x 10 minutes)
o
The facilitator managed questions and answers from the audience (15 minutes)

The facilitator invited questions from the audience for both panels and also introduced the
Open Consultation Session (15 minutes).

Open Consultation Session (45 minutes): The speakers introduced a specific challenge from
their respective organization to the group. The audience then had the chance to act as a peer
advisory group for the speaker, discuss the case and propose solutions.
Guiding questions:
1. Which areas are critical for resilient urban development? Can networks and associations of
cities and urban professionals have a positive impact?
2. How can networks amongst cities and urban professionals contribute to the upscaling of
successful practices for more resilient cities?
3. Which role can networks play in the capacity development of urban professionals? Please
provide examples.
4. What are the success factors for an effective city-to-city cooperation between city networks and
compact models? What challenges has your network faced and how have you overcome
them?
5. What measures can one take to create and develop these networks?
6. Too city specific to be scaled vs. too general to be of use: What are the challenges,
opportunities, limits and levers of sharing successful practices and building networks?
7. What are the first steps to becoming involved in a network or creating your own?
8. How does one align engagement and network efforts between different entities in order to not
overwhelm participating cities with engagements or “networks”?
9. How can we better streamline our networks into our actual occupation and/or sector?
CONTRIBUTORS
Facilitators
Jessica Baier, Senior Project Manager, Engagement Global, Bonn, Germany
Anne Doose, Policy Advisor Urban and Municipal Development, GIZ, Bonn, Germany
Josephine Lee, Program Manager, USAID CityLinks
City/County Management Association, Washington DC.
Program,
International
Panelist
Susanne Torriente, Assistant City Manager, City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Susanne has been a member of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate
Compact steering committee since its inception in 2009 and was a major contributor in
the development of the regional climate action plan. She discussed the lessons learned
and results of the Compact, its future activities, and her experience in international citycity partnerships under the CityLinks program.
Panelist
Sean O’Donoghue, Manager of the Climate Protection Branch, Environmental Planning
& Climate Protection Department of eThekwini Municipality/Durban, South Africa
Sean has directly been involved in international (Durban Adaptation Charter; CityLinks)
and local climate governance networks such as the Central KwaZulu-Natal Climate
Change Compact (CKZNCCC). He has managed the Climate Protection Branch since
2011, including during Durban’s hosting of COP17 in that year, and has led the
development of the CKZNCCC as well as the Durban Adaptation Charter.
The development of the CKZNCCC began through his participation in the USAID
CityLinks Climate Partnership Program, connecting Durban with Fort Lauderdale and
Broward County to learn from Southeast Florida’s process in developing their compact.
He discussed his experience in developing the compact as well as managing and
participating in international networks.
Panelist
Noloyiso Walingo, Environmental Manager, Ugu Municipality, South Africa
Noloyiso is the founder and manager of Ugu Municipality’s Environmental Management
Department since 2007, which is a member of the CKZNCCC. The office has recently
opened a Climate Change sub-unit (Air Quality and Climate Change Management)
after being engaged with the CKZNCCC. As a member, she discussed her experience,
the challenges and the opportunities in her daily working life and how being a member
of the Compact has impacted her work and her professional career.
Panelist
Habraham Shamumoyo, Secretary General, Association of Local Authorities Tanzania
(ALAT), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Habraham is the Secretary General of the Association of Local Authorities Tanzania.
ALAT is an autonomous membership-based organization which brings together all the
168 urban and district councils of mainland Tanzania. More than 120 of its members
signed the Durban Adaptation Charter recently. In his contribution, Habraham
discussed the support ALAT can offer to its members with regard to climate change as
well as the role of networking and city-to-city cooperation in this regard.
Panelist
Renato Lima, Secretary, Municipal Secretariat for Environment, City of Curitiba, Brazil
Renato holds the prestigious post of Secretary of the Municipal Environment
Department for the City of Curitiba, which is globally recognized for its concern and
action on environmental matters. He heads the Geology Department of the Federal
University of Paraná and as such, has created the Interdisciplinary Nucleus for
Environment and Development (NIMAD). Renato is also a team member of
UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination) in Brazil and Director
of the National Association of Municipalities for Environment – ANAMMA.
In the Resilient Cities Conference, he participated in his capacity as a member of
Capitais Brasileiras 27 (CB 27), which is a newly established network of the municipal
environmental departments of Brazil’s state capitals. Inspired by the Rio +20 Summit,
CB27 has been initiated by Nelson Moreira Franco, the Head of Rio’s Climate Change
Department. CB27 counts on the support of the German Konrad-Adenauer Foundation,
C40, ICLEI and the World Resources Institute. The 27 state capitals exchange and
collaborate on general issues of environmental management, measures for mitigation
(such as greenhouse gas inventories) and adaptation, resilience building, etc. The
network meets at a national level once a year and more frequently on a regional scale.
It seeks to strengthen the capacities of cities in environmental management matters
through exchange, mentoring and inter-municipal technical assistance.
Floor intervention: Steve Gawler, Director International Programs, ICLEI Oceania, Melbourne, Australia
Further recommended reading
27 Brazilian Capitals (CB27): http://www.forumcb27.com.br/http://www.kas.de/brasilien/en/pages/11977/