Category: Municipal services

Call for participants: Municipal services in the pandemic

Posted on by erik

This event is part of our series International exchange of experiences: lessons learned in the Covid-19 crisis, and brings German municipal experts together with international actors to discuss how municipal administration and municipal companies can act to improve the response to the current crisis. Among other issues, this dialog will discuss good practices of response to the challenge of providing municipal services of water and waste management in the pandemic. Practical examples will be presented by experts from Rostock-Germany and abroad on the topics of waste management and water provision. The overall aim of the event is to achieve a joint exchange of experiences and to develop ideas for cooperation.

Event Registration

If you have any queries about the event and the participation process, we encourage you to contact:

Alexander Wagner
alexander.wagner@engagement-global.de
Telefon +49 (0)228-20717-455

Thiago Garcia
thiago.garcia(@)engagement-global.de
Telefon +49 (0)228-20717-633

Announcement: Prize of the Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler Foundation 2021

Posted on by erik

Topic: Exemplary measures to overcome the corona induced crisis

In memory of Carl Goerdeler’s communal political activities as Lord Mayor of the City of Leipzig and his resistance against the Nazi regime, the Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler Foundation awards a Communal Political Prize to honour outstanding achievements in communal administration practice. The award is intended to serve the peaceful cooperation of municipalities and municipal alliances that brings people together, especially in Europe (as defined by the Council of Europe) and abroad. At the same time, mutual learning for the benefit of the inhabitants is to be promoted.

The call for proposals is also in the context of the activities of the Connective Cities project, which is a cooperation between the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Engagement Global gGmbH / Servicestelle Kommunen in der Einen Welt and the German Association of Cities. Implementation partners include selected regional and national city associations in Africa, America, Europe and Asia and their member cities. The project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Description of content and target group

The prize serves to honour outstanding achievements (“best practices”) in local government or regional communities of responsibility, if necessary also involving civil society forces. The award is intended to honour cooperation between municipalities or municipal alliances with the participation of a German municipality or municipal alliances. The cooperation should have taken place in areas relevant to the management of the pandemic (e.g. health, civil protection, security, urban services, mobility, schools/education, economic development or similar). This should have sustainable positive effects in the following areas: strengthening civil society and/or social cohesion, improving services of general interest, modernising public administration, strengthening economic power, promoting European and global integration.

Funding

Euro 2,000 (in the case of two or more equivalent applications, the prize money can also be split) and publicity award.

The application must be accompanied by documents (in German or English) which observe the following points (max. 10 pages)

  1.  Contact person/contact of the applying municipality or region
  2.  Information about the submitting municipality or region/presentation of the partner municipality or region
  3.  Presentation of the solution approach as “best practice”, if necessary also in virtual form (showcase)
  4.  Actors (who were involved)
  5.  Achieved benefits for citizens
  6.  Transfer potentials

Applications to be submitted by 16 November 2020 (extended)

The winner or winners will be selected by a jury of representatives of the participating institutions. The jury’s decision is made in accordance with the principles of strict party political neutrality.  The award ceremony takes place annually at the beginning of February to commemorate the anniversary of Carl Goerdeler’s death on February 2, 1945. The award is presented in close cooperation with the City of Leipzig and is performed by the Lord Mayor of the City of Leipzig at a ceremony.

Jury

  • Ellen Kramer, German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ), Chairwoman
  • Prof. Dr. Ulrich Brieler, City of Leipzig
  • Marianne Goerdeler, Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler Foundation
  • Lina Furch, Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), German Section
  • Dr. Ferdinand Schuster, Institute for the Public Sector

Contact

Ricarda Meissner, ricarda.meissner@giz.de,  Tel. 0049(0)228 4460 1138

Klaudia Sonntag, klaudia.Sonntag@giz.de , Tel: 0049 (0) 228 4460 1587

More information about the price:

Kommunalpolitischer Preis der Carl und Anneliese Goerdeler-Stiftung 2021
[pdf, 190 kb]
 

www.publicgovernance.de/goerdelerpreis

Used Vehicles and the Environment

Posted on by erik

Millions of used cars, vans and minibuses exported from Europe, the United States and Japan to the developing world are of poor quality, contributing significantly to air pollution and hindering efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. The UNEP-report shows that between 2015 and 2018, 14 million used light-duty vehicles were exported worldwide. Some 80 per cent went to low- and middle-income countries, with more than half going to Africa.

The first-ever report of its kind, calls for action to fill the current policy vacuum with the adoption of harmonized minimum quality standards that will ensure used vehicles contribute to cleaner, safer fleets in importing countries.

Green Urban Infrastructure in Asian Cities

Posted on by erik

From August 3rd until August 14th, 2020 around 30 urban practitioners from 6 Asian Cities came together virtually to exchange their experiences and expertise in the field of Green Urban Infrastructure. Especially challenges in waste management and water sanitation were discussed intensively, as they represent pressing issues for many Asian cities.

The aim of the workshop was to further develop existing project ideas by discussing arising challenges and trying out new methods to find new perspectives and approaches to urban planning. The event was a follow-up to the dialogue event in Bandung, Indonesia in November 2019.

Due to the restrictions imposed on all of us by the Covid-19-pandemic, the event was conducted virtually by using the Connective Cities Platform. To ensure an enriching learning experience, the event took place over two weeks and included synchronous workdays with various keynote presentations as well as asynchronous days on which the participants could work on their project ideas at their own pace.

Six projects from Indonesia and Nepal were presented and further developed (see presentations).

Improving efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of water, wastewater management and urban mobility services

Posted on by erik

The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed what was known to be normal. In the new normal, Connective Cities has also resorted to virtual formats of the dialogue events. Between the 7th and 14th of September, in intermittent virtual sessions, about 43 participants from 24 cities and representing 7 African countries and Germany, congregated to share best practices and develop project ideas in the areas of water supply, wastewater management and urban mobility.

The rapid urbanization in Sub Saharan Africa has seen an increase in the urban population and subsequently the demand for basic urban basic services such as water, sanitation and sustainable transport.  More than half of the urban population in SSA is yet to access these basic services.

This event provided a platform for utilities and cities to share on solutions to increase access to water supply, different approaches in management of wastewater and approaches in implementing sustainable urban mobility.

The conclusion of the event was crowned with six project ideas for Connective Cities to consider for further support in refining the concepts.

The EcoCentro in Quito

Posted on by erik

The city of Quito, being the capital of Ecuador, is home to important companies and the second most populated city, with 2.65 million inhabitants. In the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ), around 2,200 tons of common solid waste are produced daily; of which almost 1,254 tons (57%) are of organic origin. Around 80% of the weight of organic waste is moisture that is transformed into leachate, which generates difficult treatment and high costs for the Public Company of Integral Waste Management of the Metropolitan District of Quito (EMGIRS-EP).

Currently, the sanitary landfill located in the Inga sector, administered by EMGIRS-EP, has a remaining useful life of 3 to 5 years due to its available space. Thus, the diversion of organic waste and its respective use is the most appropriate solution. With this background and in the framework of the program “Quito Free of Waste – Organic waste”, EMGIRS-EP designed in 2018 the EcoCentro project. EcoCentro aims to raise awareness among citizens about the use of organic waste, the use of biological fertilizers and the planting of vegetables and/or fruits in urban gardens.

EcoCentro counts on the contribution of the academia to develop research in topics such as optimization of composting and vermiculture processes, fertilization of urban crops (bio fertilizers), and urban metabolism (flows of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus in the city). The Economic Development Agency CONQUITO and its program AGRUPAR – Participatory Urban Agriculture Project, and the Quito Food Bank, which delivers the products of the EcoCentro to vulnerable groups with limited access to healthy food in orphanages, nursing homes and social foundations, also support the project.

EcoCentro is an integral initiative that manages to articulate spaces for sports, leisure and nature protection; and allows citizens to better understand the urban and rural link, contemplating the idea of a healthy life, responsible consumption and sustainable management of resources.

Transport for under two degrees – the way forward

Posted on by erik

The transport sector is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions at present. It accounts for approximately one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and hence figures prominently in efforts to transform the energy economy and protect the climate. Without a scaled-up global mitigation effort, it will not be possible to reach the climate targets of the Paris Agreement. A low-carbon transformation of the global transport sector is the next necessary step in the global energy transformation.

Germany’s Federal Foreign Office has commissioned the project “T4<2° – Transport for under two degrees”, a global foresight study on the decarbonisation and transformation of the transport sector to identify challenges and opportunities for a sustainable, low-carbon transport sector. The findings provide decision-makers with a clear vision and specific recommendations on how to achieve decarbonisation of the sector and orchestrate international efforts for a global transport system transformation.

Call for participants: Provision of municipal services during a pandemic

Posted on by erik

Covid-19 pandemic has caused a lot of negative impacts to many cities and municipalities across the world. According to UN Habitat, about 44% of the total African population live in urban areas of which 47% live in slums and informal settlements characterized by poor access to potable water and safe sanitation, overcrowding and often deficiency in service provision. The inadequate capacity of many Sub-Saharan countries to provide adequate water infrastructure despite being a major necessity in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult to contain the virus spread within many cities. This makes cities more susceptible in the ongoing spread of the pandemic in the region and the enforcement of the WHO guidelines on prevention and fight against the pandemic a challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa’s rapid and unplanned urbanization is therefore seen as a huge risk factor of Covid-19.

The impact of this pandemic has been felt worldwide yet cities have responded with different measures to avert the spread and cushion against long-term impacts and even future pandemics. It’s against this background that Connective Cities1 is offering a platform in which cities will share the challenges they have experienced and interventions that have either been implemented or are being planned to safeguard against the negative impacts and future pandemics.

In the first series, we look at the provision of municipal services and specifically water supply and solid waste management services.

Conference language is English.

More information:Concept paper [pdf 3 pages]

Participation and contact

If you have further questions or would like to participate, please send an e-mail to Sophia Kamau (sophia.kamau@giz.de), Regional Coordinator for Connective Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Phasing out plastics

Posted on by erik

Plastics today feature in every part of our lives and are found everywhere. The global realisation that plastics are an environmental problem has focused on plastic waste and pollution, but plastics are also problematic in terms of the global climate emergency, because almost all plastics today are made from fossil fuels. 

Building on recent literature about plastics and climate change, this report explores the potential for extensive emission reductions in the plastics sector. Using a scenario approach, we present an assessment of the technical feasibility of phasing out the production of new fossil plastics by 2050, based on detailed analysis of the potential to transform the use of plastics in four sectors – automotive, construction, packaging and electrical and electronic equipment (EEE).

South-East European Local Governments in Post Covid-19 Socio-Economic Recovery

Posted on by erik

South-East European (SEE) local governments (LGs) have been and will certainly remain at the forefront in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic social and economic crisis. In serving and protecting their communities they have been facing unprecedented challenges in multiple dimensions. SEE local governments have been responding to these challenges with a strong spirit of solidarity, putting their citizens lives before everything else and working tirelessly to provide support to the most vulnerable.

The crisis required local governments to take timely measures to shut down selected local services, quickly switch to remote working practices and digitalise administrative services, expand programs for securing citizens healthcare, expand social protection and care for a significantly higher number of vulnerable people, take measures to allow the smooth implementation of online or long-distance learning, etc. In the aftermath of the control or minimisation of the first wave of infection SEE local governments have taken specific ad hoc measures to support the survival of their local communities and economies.

The purpose of this survey is to help improving the understanding over the impact of the COVID-19 crisis at the local government level in South-East Europe, identifying effective and innovative social and economic recovery strategies and ultimately helping formulating concrete policy proposals to inform advocacy efforts of NALAS member Local Government Associations.