At this event, the programme associated with the Call to action on sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth was launched, under the leadership of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners, and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, with support from The Prince’s Foundation, the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure, and the Rwandan Ministry of Local Government.
It was hosted by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and highlighted the critical role that city governments and city leaders are playing in addressing the COVID-19 crisis, with a focus on the critical role of local leaders in building safe, healthy and sustainable cities and towns, especially in the context of rapid urbanisation and climate change.
Chair: Dr Greg Munro, Secretary-General, Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Panellists:
- Mayor Lisa Morris Julian, Mayor of Arima, Trinidad and Tobago
- Alice Towle, Youth Mayor, Bristol
- Braulio Eduardo Morera, Director, Innovation + Project Development, Global Resilient Cities Network
- Ladislas Ngendahimana, Secretary General, the Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities
The event attracted over 80 attendees from 25 Commonwealth countries, with approximately 70 attending via the Vimeo livestream. Questions to the panel, together with expressions of support, came from variety of sources, including Gender Links, Southern Africa, the Commonwealth, Young Planners Network, and many others. There was a rich and wide-ranging discussion on the role of elected leaders in connecting and supporting their citizens during crisis and their role in building resilience in the post COVID-19 era.
Kubi Rama, Deputy Chief Executive of Gender Links, shared some research (Local government COVID-19 Rapid Response Survey) and Alice Towle shared Bristol’s One City Plan.
Key messages
- Recognition of the importance, urgency, complexity, and scale of the issues for cities and towns
- The potential for the Commonwealth to serve as a convening force
- The importance of developing multi-level, inter-disciplinary, cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve sustainable urbanisation
- The crucial role for city leaders in rebuilding better post-covid for all citizens
- The importance of engaging young people in decision making in a meaningful way
- An invitation to engage with development of the Call to Action.
