Sustainable territorial and local development

The role of towns and regions in the consultation process of Habitat III should be strengthened, will argue participants to a seminar co-organised by CEMR, PLATFORMA and the European Parliament URBAN Intergroup on 21 June in Brussels. 

The so-called New Urban Agenda will be adopted at the UN Habitat III Conference, in October, in Quito (Ecuador) and will set the priorities towards a global strategy on urbanisation for the next 20 years.  As members of the Global Task Force (GTF) for local and regional governments, CEMR and PLATFORMA, already called for local governments to get a seat at the table of the negotiations table.  

Members of the European Parliament, as well as CEMR and PLATFORMA are actively engaged in the preparatory process of the new global Urban Agenda, and invite interested stakeholders to attend the event at the European Parliament, to discuss:  
 

• The challenges for towns and regions in the implementation process of Habitat III 
• The Zero Draft of the New Urban Agenda (CEMR and PLATFORMA have already published an initial response)
• The EU’s position for Habitat III (PLATFORMA has also published a reaction to the Council of the EU conclusions on the basis of its April Declaration on the Habitat III process)

The event will be introduced by: 
 

• Jan Olbrycht MEP (EPP, Poland), President of the URBAN Intergroup
• Frédéric Vallier, CEMR Secretary General  

Speakers will include:
 

• Andreas Wolter, Deputy Mayor of Cologne, Gemany
• Tobias Kettner, Outreach and Liaison Officer in Europe of Habitat III Secretariat
• Elena Szolgayová, Director General for Housing Policy and Urban Development in the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic, Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU
• Judith Torokne Rozsa, Head of Unit, Competence Centre Inclusive Growth, Urban and Territorial Development, DG REGIO, European Commission,
• Hubert Julien-Laferrière, Mayor of the 9th district of Lyon, United Cities and Local Governments representative (UCLG), Global Task Force of Local and Regional Governments
• Deepali Sood, Director of Partnerships, Europe, Middle East and Africa, HABITAT for Humanity International

Joachim Zeller MEP, member of the URBAN Intergroup, Vice-president of the URBAN Intergroup, and Patrizio Fiorilli, Director of PLATFORMA, will wrap up the debate.

Should you want to participate, please register online by 13 June 2016 at 16h. For further information you can contact pedro.bizarro@ccre-cemr.org.