2020.02.21
|
Smart Cities - New Actors for a Transition towards Sustainable FutureMay 12- 15
Jeju, Republic of Korea
BackgroundWith 55% of the world's population living in cities, cities have played a key role in the transition to a more sustainable future. To achieve sustainability, it is imperative that we significantly transform the way we manage our urban spaces. Sustainable Cities and Communities is designated as a standalone goal of SDG 11. The international community in particular emphasized the need to support developing countries to implement policies to better transit to a sustainable future. This includes ensuring city-dwellers have enough food, energy and water for their well-being. Climate change and ecological degradation are also expected to add to the mounting challenges in developing countries.
As cities become more digital and connected than ever before, we need to capitalise on the opportunities that are brought about by the emergence of new technologies. According to the OECD, smart cities are defined as initiatives or approaches that effectively leverage digitalisation to boost citizen well-being and deliver more efficient, sustained and inclusive urban services and environments as part of a collaborative, multi-stakeholder process. This workshop, therefore, will talk about smart cities as new powerful actors for a transition towards sustainable future.
Smart cities have to be well planned, designed, implemented and effectively managed with strategic policies and investment so that they serve as hubs of sustainability and economic prosperity. It will also be required to have good governance that engages diverse stakeholders in decision-making and also oversight of how urban resources are utilised and managed. Effective and integrated development enables cities to manage the different priorities in the process, empowering cities to achieve economic development, high quality of life and a sustainable environment. To do so, national and sub-national authorities need to establish enabling environments to encourage players from different sectors to make meaningful contributions.
Event objectives
The workshop is expected to help cities in transition to seize the existing opportunities by learning from other cities in a similar condition, and to give guidance to policy makers in the region on their policy attempts towards sustainable future. For the capacity building, this event will; · Provide an
opportunity for the local governments in the Asia-Pacific region to exchange
policies and best practices on smart cities development through city-to-city
cooperation; · Promote a learning
atmosphere between cities and establish a strong network which can be utilized
after the workshop; · Offer a venue for knowledge sharing and discussion and motivate
participants to implement well-designed policies, with a particular focus on UN
SDGs. Learning objectives
At the end of the workshop,
the participants will be able to: · Understand the role
of cities as new actors in the context of 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda; · Utilize the
lessons learned from the good cases of smart cities; · Have a basic understanding of smart cities for cities
in transition, and deepen the ideas of sustainable practices for
regional/city/local development; · Share the best
practices of the community/local government-driven policy initiatives; · Coordinate
partnerships to effectively promote the benefits of smart cities with civil
societies, government, and local
entrepreneurs. Target audiences
Central/local authorities, representatives from
NGOs, leaders of regional and community-based organizations, academic and
training institutions and other local actors, who are working for a transition
towards sustainable and smart cities within the Asia-Pacific region. Event details
· Event type Workshop (training program) · Date 12 - 15 May, 2020 · Venue Jeju International Training Center,
Jeju-do, Republic of Korea · Organizers UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC · Certificate UNITAR and UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC will jointly issue a certificate upon the completion of the training. Contents and structure
The training will be composed of the following
sessions: · Smart
cities and Cities in Transition · Connecting
Cities to Solutions · Challenges
to Smart Cities · Innovation · Good Governance · Smart
transition to Sustainable Future · UNITAR-Developed City-Share Methodology ** Sessions are flexible to changes Methodology
The training will be comprised
of: · Lectures and
presentations by experts (English) · Self-assessment
exercise · Group work and
discussion · Study tour and Field
trips Requirements
Applicants are required to: · Be fluent in
written and spoken English · Submit necessary documents on time, i.e., application
forms etc. · Complete and
submit pre-training assignment, i.e., case study description etc. · Actively
participate in the training program. *Participants are required to bring a personal
laptop for UNITAR Cityshare Sessions Application and deadline
Send the following
documents to cifaljeju.smart@gmail.com, email titled: Smart Cities WS Application by 31st March, 2020 (Tuesday):
** Late application will NOT be accepted.
Note
· Application without the required documents will
NOT be considered. · Participation is subject to the approval of the
application by UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC. · ONLY selected applicants will be notified
individually. Assistance with travel expenses
·
UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC
provides a LIMITED financial assistance with the airfareto Jeju-do, Republic of Korea.
· Local expenses (transportation, accommodation and meals) during the workshop period (only during May 12 ~ 15) will be covered by UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC, except for arrival
and departure days. · All other expenses (local transportation in their country,
visa fee) should be covered by the participants. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
