Speech by H.E. Vincent Guérend, the EU Ambassador to Indonesia, at the Plenary Session on Collaborative Governance for Stronger Enabling Environment
Check against delivery
Speech by H.E. Vincent Guérend, the EU Ambassador to Indonesia, at the Plenary Session on Collaborative Governance for Stronger Enabling Environment
Surabaya, 13 September 2018
Distinguished representatives from the Indonesian Government,
Distinguished Mayor Tri Rismaharini from Surabaya,
Distinguished mayors and city representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure, in my capacity as Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia to deliver key note remarks on urban development at the Plenary Session on Collaborative Governance for Stronger Enabling Environment of the UCLG ASPAC Congress 2018. This is a great event for stakeholders to exchange ideas and experience on sustainable urban development at the local level, under the umbrella of global agendas including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in the Asia Pacific region.
Urbanisation is one of the biggest challenges of this century. In Europe, nearly three quarters of our population lives in cities, and around two thirds of GDP is generated there. The quality of life of our citizens, our prospects for future prosperity, and our response to global issues like climate change will all be determined in cities. Our greatest challenges are concentrated there – and our capacity to find innovative solutions is also strongest in our cities.
So, designing our cities for green, inclusive and sustainable growth is one of the major challenges of this century.
The urban population of the Asia Pacific is growing at a high speed. In this context, both the European Union and the Asia Pacific region will also have to do more with what exists and avoid consuming more and more agricultural land. Urban regeneration is one of the challenges ahead and much experience has been developed in Europe for the regeneration of brownfields. This is also true in the case of temporary use of military areas, barracks, cinemas, railway properties that are being decommissioned by their public or private owners. The City of Makassar, which is represented in this congress, has been successfully working with the European city of Seville in this area.
In Europe we believe no city problem can be tackled in isolation: the social, economic and environmental challenges we face must be addressed together in an integrated way. Overlapping problems need joined up solutions.
EU cities have made great strides in the development of this joint method, where sectoral and transversal challenges (including governance issues) are tackled all together in an integrated manner. The recognition gained by many European cities refers to this integrated approach, and not only to the excellence of the technological/sectoral solutions applied. The issue of governance is a very important point and very relevant to Asian cities as well.
To explain what we mean by an integrated approach, I would say that an energy-efficient district may be built in the surrounds of the city. However, for it to be really efficient – both from an energy point of view and from a liveability perspective – we need more than energy-efficient buildings. We need good access to public transport, and favourable conditions for attracting business and for job creation in the area concerned. We also need the provision of cultural amenities as well as education and health services to be ensured. The Portuguese City of Lisbon – which is represented in this congress - has demonstrated the importance of such integrated approaches. In fact, ladies and gentlemen. Lisbon has just been awarded as the European Green Capital Award for 2020, being particularly strong in the field of sustainable land use, sustainable urban mobility (transport), green growth & eco innovation, climate change adaptation and waste.
The EU and Asia share an interest in finding those integrated solutions. We share an interest in reinforcing dialogue on sustainable urban development because both the EU and Asian countries want to spread the benefits of economic progress. And though our cities are very diverse, European and Asian urban areas are developing expertise and solutions that make them models for others in smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Starting from different contexts and challenges, European and Asian cities are laboratories from which our increasingly urban world should develop.
In Europe, the metropolitan sector is becoming more and more prominent as one level of urban governance. Stuttgart metropolis is a good example of this trend. It has a strong institutional authority which may operate in a series of domains, such as the development of green corridors across the metropolitan area concerned. Apart from making cities more environmentally-friendly, green corridors offer opportunities for citizens to walk or cycle easily throughout the city-region.
Cities are the heart of our future. Urban development needs to be at the top of the agenda for national policy makers, and cities need to become their partners. Cities are not simply the stage upon which global developments are unfolding, their role as key actors – in addressing the economic, social and environmental challenges ahead – has to be recognised and fostered.
This is why in the current financial period (2014-2020, in Europe, all 28 Member States are obliged to dedicate a certain proportion of their EU structural funds to integrated sustainable urban development with a degree of delegation of management to the city level.
Ladies and gentlemen, the EU has played a very active role and is committed to implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, both within the EU and worldwide with partner countries. On one hand, the European Union is committed to delivering the New Urban Agenda of the United Nations through the Urban Agenda for the EU.
The Urban Agenda for the EU was designed for cities to have their say in policy-making, from design to implementation. With its twelve priority themes, its multilevel governance and its focus on peer-learning, it contributes to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda on the EU territory. The beauty of the European Urban Agenda lays in his "equal partnerships approach": Cities, businesses, non-governmental organisations, National governments and EU institutions work together to devise the best solutions to urban issues. So far, four action plans are ready: on urban poverty, inclusion of migrants and refugees, housing and air quality. We have are hopeful that all the remaining action plans will be finalised by the end of this year.
On the other hand, the European Union is also working to meet and exceed the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Action by supporting the implementation of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), also in Indonesia and South East Asia. The Covenant will tackle three key issues: climate change mitigation, adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change and universal access to secure, clean and affordable energy.
The EU supports the implementation of the Global Covenant of Mayors through the International Urban Cooperation (IUC) project, including by supporting cities in elaborating energy and climate action plans, identifying existing Financial Climate & Energy (FCE) instruments to implement the plans and fill the green investment gap at the city level.
As a global project with chapters in North and Latin America as well as several in Asian countries, the IUC will also draw on best practices from Europe and other regions. Also, the IUC project will aim at drawing on the established experience of the GCoM partners (including UN Habitat and city networks) with cities in Indonesia based on their technical capacity to carry out specific solutions for climate change challenges at city level.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is here a fundamental role to be played by international partnerships. It would not make sense to seek to forecast the development of our cities from a global perspective without taking on board all that can be learned and gained from extensive international interaction. And that is where I believe the European Union can be a unique partner; not the only one, but a unique one. Our aim is to build a long-term cooperation platform between the EU and Asia in order to address urbanisation challenges in this 21st century.
I am sure that the work that this congress will deliver here in Surabaya will be a good inspiration for many cities in the near future. In this way, these cities not only become smart, but also sustainable, clean, healthy, thus allowing their population to have a good quality of life. It is essential that this important work continues, and initiatives and events like this one are an important contribution.
I wish the UCLG ASPAC Congress success.
Thank you very much for your attention.