4 September 2012, Naples. This is the third and final session at the World Urban Forum where I will be contributing. It is hosted by UNEP and is entitled Resource Efficient Cities: Drivers of Change. The real purpose is to market a new initive called the Global Initiative on Resource Efficient Cities (GI-REC). Launched at Rio + 20 this initiative brings together all the major institutional players – UNEP, UN Habitat, World Bank, ICLEI, IIED and various other NGO and industry players. The purpose is to take forward the ‘new agenda’ on resources flows through cities – a core argument of the Report on Cities that I co-authored for the IRP and which was the focus of a session that took place yesterday afternoon (see post in ‘news’ on SI website.). My own ‘take’ however is somewhat different. The other speakers at this UNEP session are Jean Felix who is Chair of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers Sustainble Development Committee, Raf Tuts from UN Habitat, David Dodman from IIED, Steven Feldstein from USAID, and Yoichiro Yamada from the Japanese Embassy. At 18.30 tonight the founding meeting of the Steering Committee for the GI-REC will take place. UNEP has requested the SI to support the research programme of this new initiative over the next couple of years.
