During the Mayors & Water Conference 2017 in Porto (Portugal), which took place on 29 September, 17 cities signed the Porto Declaration on the Urban Water Agenda 2030 (UWA2030), committing to support the cooperation process between European cities and the European Commission in developing an urban water agenda that promotes sustainable water management in cities. ICLEI Members Bonn (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Eindhoven (Netherlands), Lisbon (Portugal), Mannheim (Germany), Oslo (Norway), Wrocław (Poland), Paris (France), and Stockholm (Sweden) are among the signatories. Amsterdam (Netherlands), Porto (Portugal), Genk (Belgium), Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Panevėžys (Lithuania), Murcia (Spain), Timisoara (Romania) and Thessaloniki (Greece) also signed the commitment. The declaration is still open for signature by elected representatives from local governments.

During the conference, the Mayor of Wrocław, Rafał Dutkiewicz, stressed the importance of strengthening the exchange of good practices between European cities. Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Natural Capital at DG Environment of the European Commission, declared the readiness of the European Commission to join forces with cities through the UWA2030.

To further develop the UWA2030, a public consultation on the draft strategy that will shape the course of the UWA2030 was launched. The consultation gathered direct input from water stakeholders to better reflect their needs in terms of sustainable water management.

For more information, contact: water@iclei.org.Image copyright: sourced from EUROCITIES by "EUROCITIES" more   10 October 2017 ICLEI Member Cascais localise SDGs in first for PortugalIn the first initiative of its kind in Portugal, ICLEI Member Cascais publicly launched its local commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on 21 September.

Countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs in 2015. With these goals, countries pledged to mobilise efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities, and tackle climate change by 2030. Cascais is localising these goals and their respective targets through its pioneering "Cascais 2030" programme, which intends to transform the municipality over the next 13 years.

The programme includes the creation of a municipal strategy that contributes to compliance with the SDGs, influencing the municipality's competitiveness, quality of life of the citizens, and the preservation of natural resources. This will be achieved through broad debate and stakeholder participation, along with management tools to increase transparency and accountability of decision makers. In an innovative approach, Cascais will require all envisioned city projects to undergo a mandatory evaluation of the impacts on the SDGs and their targets.

The initiative was commended by UN Secretary General Antà³nio Guterres who wrote a letter of congratulations to the Mayor of Cascais, Carlos Carreiras.

For more information about the "Cascais 2030" project, visit their website.Image copyright: sourced from Flickr more

» Publication Date: 11/10/2017

» Source: Iclei Europe

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