Sustainable Cities: Empowering People, Enabling Prosperity and Protecting the Planet
Pope Francis
Sustainable Cities Empowering People Enabling Prosperity and Protecting the Planet
Special Symposium on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Convened the Pontifical Academy of Sciences with UN SDSN with the support of the #urbanSDG Campaign (21-22 July 2015)
Sustainable development is a transformational agenda, based on the idea of a dignified life for all, and creating the preconditions for people to flourish. The 193-members of the United Nations have worked over the last two years to define 17 far-reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for all people in all countries to provide pathways to balanced sustainable development across economic, social and environmental domains.
These goals revolve around three themes: empowering people, eradicating poverty and protecting human dignity; shared prosperity and decent, fair jobs for all; protecting the planet and tackling climate change. The world’s cities, urban areas and human settlements have a vital role in making this possible.
Pope Francis is a unique ally in the pursuit of sustainable development, who has done much to amplify the message of climate change and environmental destruction in his recent Encyclical LAUDATO SI’. A high-level two-day event, convened by the Pontifical Academy with SDSN at the Vatican in Rome on 21-22 July 2015, showcased contemporary challenges facing cities and demonstrate how the bold leadership of cities and local governments could help the world achieve the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially the urban SDG. More than 300 people participated, including mayors from all continents, ambassadors, leading urban practitioners, academics and scientists.
The first day included presentations from the Mayors of Rome, New York, Sao Paolo, Paris, Johannesburg, Bogota, Madrid, San Francisco, Kochi, Boston, Kingston, Stockholm and many more. Each focused on their cities’ actions to combat climate change and modern slavery – a deep personal concern for the Pontiff.
Towards the end of the day the conclave was graced by Pope Francis who shared his vision for a new human ecology, which involves much more than just ‘being green.’ He called on cities to lead from the ground up, forcing national governments to act.
A special symposium on the second day was organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) and UN SDSN. Aromar Revi, Director of the IIHS and Co-Chair of SDSN’s thematic group on Sustainable cities, helped frame this dialogue as part of the ongoing global Campaign for a #urbanSDG.
Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the PAS opened proceedings explaining the SDG agenda and the importance of cities committing to fulfil the goals. Keynote speeches were delivered by the Mayors of New York and Rome. Mayor de Blasio spoke about OneNYC, a new strategy for integrated sustainable development in New York and it’s alignment with the SDG agenda. He also announced a commitment for New York to cut emissions by 40% by 2030 (an acceleration on the original 80% by 2050 plan).
Over the course of the day there were four panels, chaired by Laurence Tubiana, Special Representative of the French Government to CoP21; Juan Clos, Executive Director of UN Habitat; Aromar Revi, Director of IIHS and co-chair of the SDSN Thematic Group on Sustainable Cities and Vux Jeremic, former President of the UN General Assembly. Mayors across the world spoke on the need to focus on climate change and decarbonization, social inclusion and inequalities, inclusive economic development and jobs, and finally, governance and financing.
Bishop Sanchez and Professor Sachs concluded the day by requesting the participants to sign a declaration summarizing the proceedings and stating their intent to form an alliance in support of SDG implementation. The draft declaration was approved by those present in the room at the close of proceedings. It will be made available on the SDSN website shortly.
More information on both days proceedings are available on the SDSN and PAS websites here:
http://www.endslavery.va/content/endslavery/en/events/cities.html
Translations of the agenda are available on the PAS website: please click on the ES button in the top right hand corner
| 08:30 – 08:35 | Word of Welcome Chancellor Msgr. Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo |
| 08:35 – 08:45 | Introduction Master of Ceremonies Valeria Mazza |
| 08:45 – 09:00 | Resettlement not Repatriation PASS President Margaret Archer |
| 09:00 – 09:15 | Climate Change: The Need for Immediate Action PAS Academician V. Ramanathan |
| 09:15 – 09:30 | Survivor Stories Karla Jacinto |
| 09:30 – 09:45 | Survivor Stories Ana Laura Perez Jaimes |
| 09:45 – 09:55 | Le schiavitù del 21esimo secolo e lo sfruttamento del corpo umano / 21st-Century Slaveries and the Exploitation of the Human Body Ignazio Marino – Mayor of Rome |
| 09:55 – 10:05 | The Commitment of New York Bill de Blasio – Mayor of New York City |
| 10:05 – 10:15 | Esclavage moderne et changement climatique / On Modern Slavery and Climate Change Anne Hidalgo – Mayor of Paris |
| 10:15 – 10:25 | Stockholm – a City Defined by Equality and Sustainability Karin Wanngård – Mayor of Stockholm |
| 10:25 – 10:35 | The California Experience: Combating Climate Change and Protecting the Vulnerable Now! Edmund G. Brown Jr. – Governor of California |
| 10:35 – 10:45 | Locating the Fight Against Modern Slavery at the Heart of Efforts to Deliver Sustainable Development Kevin Hyland – UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner |
| 10:45 – 10:55 | Quella ‘speciale dignità’ dei cittadini del mondo / The ‘Special Dignity’ of the World’s Citizens Enzo Bianco – Mayor of Catania (President, ANCI National Council) |
| 10:55 – 11:05 | Las mejores prácticas para combatir las dos emergencias en Madrid / The Commitment of Madrid Manuela Carmena – Mayor of Madrid |
| 11:05 – 11:15 | Better Cities for Our Common Home Eduardo da Costa Paes – Mayor of Rio de Janeiro |
| 11:15 – 11:25 | Urban Food Policy Pact: The Commitment of Mayors for a Sustainable and Equitable Global Food System Giuliano Pisapia – Mayor of Milan |
| 11:25 – 11:35 | São Paulo: a retomada do espaço público / São Paulo: The Reclaiming of Public Space Fernando Haddad – Mayor of São Paulo |
| 11:35 – 11:45 | La città come bene comune e il paradigma della collaborazione / The City as a Common Good and the Paradigm of Collaboration Virginio Merola – Mayor of Bologna |
| 11:45 – 11:55 | Climate Change and Modern Slavery: An Overview of India Tony Chammany – Mayor of Kochi |
| 11:55 – 12:05 | L’esperienza delle migrazioni / The Migration Experience Giusi Nicolini – Mayor of Lampedusa |
| 12:05 – 12:15 | Changement Climatique et Esclavage Moderne / Climate Change and Modern Slavery Vincent N’Cho Kouaoh – Deputy Governor of Abidjan |
| 12:15 – 12:25 | Sviluppo sostenibile e nuovi modelli di welfare comunitario: il ruolo guida delle città / Sustainable Development and New Models of Community Welfare: The Leading Role of the Cities Giorgio Gori – Mayor of Bergamo |
| 12:25 – 12:35 | Addressing Climate Change by Building Community Resilience Mitchell J. Landrieu – Mayor of New Orleans |
| 12:35 – 12:45 | Modern Slavery and Climate Change: The Nigerian Perspective Beatrice Jedy-Agba – Director-General of NAPTIP, Nigeria |
| 12:45 – 14:10 | LUNCH AT THE NEW SYNOD HALL |
| 14:10 – 14:20 | Observatory International Democracy Participatory (OIDP) in Matola-Mozambique on 4-6 of May 2016 Calisto Cossa – Mayor of Matola |
| 14:20 – 14:30 | Firenze, perla del mondo, di fronte alla sfi della necessità / Florence, the World’s Pearl, and the Challenge of Meeting Basic Needs Dario Nardella – Mayor of Florence |
| 14:30 – 14:40 | The UK’s High Ambition, Low Carbon European Green Capital George Ferguson – Mayor of Bristol |
| 14:40 – 14:50 | Local Solutions to Global Crises: San Francisco’s Actions to Combat Climate Change and Human Trafficking Edwin Lee – Mayor of San Francisco |
| 14:50 – 15:00 | Modern Slavery and Climate Change: The Commitment of the Cities. The Experience of Belo Horizonte Marcio Lacerda – Mayor of Belo Horizonte |
| 15:00 – 15:10 | Modern Slavery and Resilience to Climate Change Mpho Parks Tau – Mayor of Johannesburg |
| 15:10 – 15:20 | A Escravatura Moderna e Mudanças climáticas no contexto local. O Caso da Cidade de Nampula / Modern Slavery and Climate Change in a Local Context. The Case of Nampula City Mahamudo Amurane – Mayor of Nampula |
| 15:20 – 15:30 | How Cities Can Lead the Way on Equity and Environmental Justice Ed Murray – Mayor of Seattle |
| 15:30 – 15:40 | Acciones locales frente a problemátcas dramáticas: nuevas formas de esclavitud y cambio climático. Rosario en América Latina / Local Actions to Address Tragic Problems: New Forms of Slavery and Climate Change. Rosario in Latin America Mónica Fein – Mayor of Rosario |
| 15:40 – 15:50 | La globalizzazione dei diritti e delle persone: il ruolo delle Città / Globalization of Rights and Individuals: The Role of the Cities Luigi de Magistris – Mayor of Naples |
| 15:50 – 16:00 | Fifty Years Post Segregation: Modern Day Slavery, Human Rights and the Call to Action for this Generation William A. Bell – Mayor of Birmingham, Ambassador, Human Rights First |
| 16:00 – 16:10 | Presentation of City of Oslo’s Work on Reduction of CO Emissions and on Avoiding Modern Slavery Stian Berger Røsland – Mayor of Oslo |
| 16:10 – 16:20 | Bogotá Humana: Una ciudad que enfrenta el Cambio Climático y se ordena alrededor del agua / The Human Face of Bogotá: A City that Fights against Climate Change Gustavo Petro – Mayor of Bogotà |
| 16:20 – 16:30 | The Commitment of Palermo Leoluca Orlando – Mayor of Palermo |
| 16:30 – 16:40 | Los gobiernos locales, actores sociales de un nuevo equilibrio global / Local Governments, Social Actors in a New Global Balance Eduardo Accastello – Mayor of Villa María |
| 16:40 – 16:50 | Una Città a forma di mondo – l’attenzione dei piccoli gesti quotidiani determina i grandi cambiamenti globali / A World-Like City – Small Local Actions Result in Big Global Changes Antonio Decaro – Mayor of Bari |
| 16:50 – 17:00 | ARRIVAL OF POPE FRANCIS |
| 17:00 – 17:30 | PAPAL AUDIENCE |
| 17:30 – 18:00 | Presentation of Joint Declaration |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Signing of the Joint Declaration against modern slavery and of the five revisions to the sustainable DeveloPMent goals with regard to modern slavery |
Professor V. Ramanathan
Climate Change: The Need for Immediate Action
Bill de Blasio – Mayor of New York City | The Commitment of New York
Anne Hidalgo – Mayor of Paris
On Modern Slavery and Climate Change
Karin Wanngard – Mayor of Stockholm
Stockholm: a City Defined by Equality and Sustainability
Jerry Brown – Governor of California
Combating Climate Change and Protecting the Vulnerable Now
Enzo Bianco – Mayor of Catania
The ‘Special Dignity’ of the World’s Citizens
Manuela Carmena – Mayor of Madrid
The Commitment of Madrid
Rodrigo Rosa – Special Advisor to the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
Better Cities for Our Common Home
Giuliano Pisapia – Mayor of Milan
Urban Food Policy Pact: The Commitment of Mayors
Fernando Haddad – Mayor of São Paulo
São Paulo: The Reclaiming of Public Space
Virginio Merola – Mayor of Bologna
The City as a Common Good and the Paradigm of Collaboration
Tony Chammany – Mayor of Kochi
Climate Change and Modern Slavery: An Overview of India
Giusi Nicolini – Mayor of Lampedusa and Linosa
The Migration Experience
Giorgio Gori – Mayor of Bergamont
Sustainable Development and New Models of Community Welfare
Mitchell J Landrieu – Mayor of New Orleans
Building Community Resilience
Calisto Cossa – Mayor of Matola
Observatory International Democracy Participatory (OIDP)
Dario Nardella – Mayor of Florence
The World’s Pearl and the Challenge of Meeting Basic Needs
George Ferguson – Mayor of Bristol
The UK’s High Ambition, Low Carbon European Green Capital
Edwin Lee – Mayor of San Fransisco
Local Solutions to Global Crises
Marcio Lacerda – Mayor of Belo Horizonte
The Commitment of the Cities
Mpho Parks Tau – Mayor of Johannesburg
Modern Slavery and Resilience to Climate Change
Mahamudo Amurane – Mayor of Nampula City
The Case of Nampula City
Ed Murray – Mayor of Seattle
How Cities Can Lead the Way on Equity and Environmental Justice
Monica Fein – Mayor of Rosario
New Forms of Slavery and Climate Change
Luigi De Magistris – Mayor of Naples
Globalization of Rights and Individuals
William A Bell – Mayor of Birmingham
Fifty Years Post Segregation
Stian Berger Rosland – Mayor of Oslo
Reduction of CO2 Emissions and on Avoiding Modern Slavery
Gustavo Petro – Mayor of Bogota
The Human Face of Bogotá
Leoluca Orlando – Mayor of Palermo
The Commitment of Palermo
Eduardo Accastello – Mayor of Villa Maria
A New Global Balance
Antonio Decaro – Mayor of Bari
Small Local Actions Result in Big Global Changes
| 9:00 | Welcome ‐ Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences |
| 9:30 | Framing – ‘Cities and the SDGs’ – Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of SDSN |
| 9:45 | Special Addresses · ‘Rome as the Eternal City’ -‐ Ignazio Marino, Mayor of Rome, Italy · ‘OneNYC: A plan for Sustainable Development’ -‐ Bill De Blasio, Mayor of NYC, USA |
| 10:15 | Coffee break |
| Session 1 10:30 |
Climate change, deep decarbonisation and resilient zero-‐emission cities, chaired by Professor Laurence Tubiana, Special Representative to the French Government on the 2015 Climate Conference · Park Won-‐soon, Mayor of Seoul, Korea & President of ICLEI (via videoconference) · Jerry Brown, Governor of California, USA · Christian Gaebler, Permanent State Secretary of Germany · Gustavo Petro, Mayor of Bogota, Colombia · Honorable Mr Kagiso Thutlwe, Mayor of Gabarone, Botswana |
| Session 2 11:45 |
Urban inequality, human development & social inclusion, chaired by Dr. Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN Habitat · Cardinal Francesco Montenegro* · Alfred Vanderpuije, Mayor of Accra, Ghana · Karin Wanngård, Mayor of Stockholm, Sweden · Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose, USA · Aníbal Gaviria Correa, Mayor of Medellín, Colombia · Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, Mayor of Libreville, Gabon |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| Session 3 14:00 |
Inclusive Economic development, chaired by Aromar Revi, Director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and Co-‐Chair of SDSN’s thematic group on sustainable cities · Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver, Canada · Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul, Turkey & President of UCLG* · Parks Tau, Mayor of Johannesburg, South Africa · Pak Mustajab Suyuto, Mayor of Bojonegoro regency, Indonesia · Aliou Sall, Mayor of Guédiawaye-‐Dakar and President, National Association of Mayors of Senegal 15.15: Coffee |
| Session 4 15:30 |
Governance & Financing, chaired by Vuk Jeremic, former President of the UN General Assembly · Edwin Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, USA · Angela Brown-‐Burke, Mayor of Kingston, Jamaica · Beugré Mambé, Governor of the Autonomous District d’Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire · Jose Fortunati, Mayor of Porto Alegre, Brazil · Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans, USA |
| 17:00 | Votes of Thanks & Close – Professor Jeffrey Sachs |
| 17:30 | Reception with a Concert from the Youth Orchestra of the Santa Cecilia College of Music, to be hosted in the Casina Pio IV courtyard |
Jeffrey Sachs
‘Cities and the SDGs’
Aromar Revi
Inclusive Economic Development
Joan Clos
Urban inequality, Human Development & Social Inclusion
Laurence Tubiana
Climate Change, Deep Decarbonisation and Resilient Zero-Emission Cities
Vuk Jeremic
Governance & Financing
Alfred Vanderpoije – Mayor of Accra
Sustainable Cities Empowering People Enabling Prosperity
Bill de Blasio – Mayor of New York
Sustainable Cities Empowering People Enabling Prosperity
Park Won Soon – Mayor of Seoul
Ignazio Marino – Mayor Of Rome
Sustainable Cities Empowering People Enabling Prosperity
Anibal Correa – Mayor Of Medellin Colombia
Karin Wanngard – Mayor of Stockholm
Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda – Mayor of Libreville