Kigali, 29 November 2018 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that aims to promote cooperation between the institutions in the field of sustainable, climate-resilient and green urban development globally.
Green growth strategies for countries and cities imply a major shift of mind-set in the current global development path. It is a difficult task to achieve, for any country in the world. Through the partnership that has been sealed during the signing ceremony held at the Africa Green Growth Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, GGGI and UN-Habitat are committing themselves to translating political will, official statements and concepts into concrete, actionable and bankable projects on the ground.
The main scope of this Memorandum is to promote sustainable, climate-resilient, inclusive and green urban development in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East, through regional and urban planning and development, green buildings and infrastructure, innovative financing mechanisms, the development of tangible tools and policy frameworks, the implementation of circular economy principles, and lastly the creation of jobs and livelihoods based at the heart of a green economy.
GGGI supports its member governments to achieve the commitments expressed under the Paris Climate Agreement, and their Sustainable Development Goal targets combining rigorous technical assistance to governments through embedded country teams, and help mobilize finance for climate resilient projects. As the UN leading agency for sustainable urban development, UN-Habitat is mandated to work on sustainable urban development at the global level and is the main focal point, within the UN System, of SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. One out of the four domains of change of UN-Habitat’s upcoming Strategic Plan 2020-2025 is “strengthened climate action and improved urban environment”. Green growth is at the core of this domain and will increasingly define the work programme of UN-Habitat, therefore deeming this new partnership as very strategic.
“UN-Habitat stands ready to support GGGI, by providing its technical expertise and mobilise its network of partners at the different levels in the various countries where we have established our presence. We look forward to a fruitful partnership”, said Mathias Spaliviero, Senior Human Settlements Officer at UN-Habitat. During the signing ceremony Mr Dexippos Agourides, Director of Africa and Europe Regional Office signed the MOU on behalf of the Global Green Growth Institute.