Opening of UCLG World Council: 500 local and regional leaders contribute to the international sustainability debate
At the invitation of Matteo Renzi, Mayor of Florence, the City of Florence welcomes local and regional representatives from over 40 different countries gathered in the UCLG World Council from 9 to 11 December.
The Council was opened by Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul (Turkey) and President of UCLG, and by Matteo Renzi, Mayor of Florence. Matteo Renzi affirmed that cooperation between cities remains extremely important, notably through UCLG, the biggest network of local and regional authorities in the world. The Florence Declaration, affirming the core values of the cities around the world, was adopted.
In his opening address, the President of UCLG stressed that building governance from the bottom up will be crucial for the future of our planet. Our citizens are taking the streets demanding solutions. We the local and regional leaders will need to be engaged in the global solution that is being sought.
The discussions of the first day focused on the definition of the UCLG Strategy for the coming 6 years and paid particular attention to the contribution of local and regional authorities to the international debate on sustainability around Rio+20.
Brice Lalonde, Executive coordinator for Rio +20 has emphasized the need to include local and regional authorities in the international sustainability debate.
In preparation towards the World Water Forum to take place in Marseille in 2012, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the World Water Council and UCLG. Loïc Fauchon, President of the World Water Council highlighted the importance of the collaboration between both institutions.
The gathering counts with the presence of mayors from cities around the world such as Rabat, Dakar, Paris, Stuttgart, Sevilla and with the participation of numerous mayors of Italian cities. It further brings together private partners and key international partners: representatives of Cities Alliance, UNFCCC (the United Nations Climate Change Conference) and OECD.
During 30 work sessions, covering topics from aid effectiveness to social inclusion, UCLG members have unique networking opportunities and are able to exchange on public-private initiatives on specific topics such as energy, mobility and water provision. Formal sessions of the Executive Bureau and of the World Council take place on Sunday 11th December.
The Council will be chaired by Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul (Turkey) and President of UCLG, and by the Co-Presidents Antonio Costa, Mayor of Lisbon (Portugal), Muchadeyi Masunda, Mayor of Harare (Zimbabwe), Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan (Russia), and Ted Ellis, Mayor of Bluffton (USA), Treasurer.
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is the biggest organization of local and regional governments in the world, present in 140 countries. UCLG represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve. UCGL´s mission is to be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community.
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Committee meeting in Florence
Dear members of the Committee of:
Digital and Knowledge-based Cities
Urban Strategic Planning
Urban Mobility
As you might be already informed, from the 9th to the 11th November will be held in City of Florence, the annual meeting of UCLG World Council.
From the Presidency of the three Committees, we believe, that some of the issues that we work in our committees are closely related, therefore, we consider, that it might be of a great interest to work together with the main objective of identifying some possible common actions and projects.
For this reason, we have taken the opportunity that the World Council offers, to schedule a joint meeting of the three committees that can allow us to move forward in this idea.
The meeting will be held on December 9th at 13:30 in the Palazzo Vecchio
Please, use the following links to access the agenda of the meeting:
The meeting is open to all the participants; however we would appreciate if you could please confirm your participation by sending an email to the Secretariat of your Committee:
Digital and Knowledge-based Cities: bilbaonext.promoción@ayto.bilbao.net
Urban Strategic Planning: s.hoeflich@cities-localgovernments.org
Urban Mobility: Wolfgang.Forderer@stuttgart.de
We remain at your disposal for any additional information that you might need.
Funcionarios de 24 países se citan en Bilbao para crear ´ciudades inteligentes´
Bilbao se convertirá la próxima semana en la capital mundial de las nuevas tecnologías aplicadas al mundo de la Administración pública. Desde el miércoles hasta el viernes, el Palacio Euskalduna acogerá el XII Encuentro Iberoamericano de Ciudades Digitales. Se trata de una cita de gran repercusión internacional donde se reunirán alcaldes, diputados y altos funcionarios de diversos países iberoamericanos, así como de Estados Unidos y Canadá. El evento contará además con un ponente de excepción: el expresidente de Colombia Álvaro Uribe.
La irrupción en nuestras vidas de internet ha supuesto un cambio drástico en la manera de comunicarnos. Esta revolución también ha modificado la manera que las instituciones tienen de relacionarse con los ciudadanos. Con un simple ´clic´, ahora una persona puede acceder a sus datos de la seguridad social, concertar una cita con el médico o solicitar una licencia de obras. Todo ello sin esperar colas desde el calor del hogar a través de un ordenador. El acto está organizado por la fundación BiscaiTIK -organismo que depende de la Diputación- y cuenta con el apoyo de la Asociación Iberoamericana de Centros de Investigación y Empresas de Telecomunicaciones (AHCIET).
Expertos en la modernización de los servicios del funcionariado y representantes de las principales empresas del sector unirán sus esfuerzos para crear «urbes inteligentes donde se potencie el desarrollo personal, social y económico de la población». El congreso contará con una zona dedicada a la exposición comercial en la que se expondrán las últimas novedades en esta industria. «Será una oportunidad excelente para que las empresas de Bizkaia penetren en el continente Americano», señala Juan Mari Aburto, portavoz de la Diputación vizcaína.
«La creación de espacios de convivencia innovadores no tiene vuelta atrás», señala Aburto. Opina también que «la línea de modernización que se está siguiendo por las instituciones es la correcta» y cree que «llegará el día en que se instalen aplicaciones informáticas que incrementen la participación ciudadana en el mundo de la política».
Fuente: El Correo
ITU releases latest global ICT pricing and penetration data
Korea tops ICT ranking
Broadband prices drop 50% between 2008 and 2010
Huge differences in broadband speed and quality between countries
Geneva, 15 September 2011 - New figures released today by ITU show that information and communication technology (ICT) uptake continues to accelerate worldwide, spurred by a steady fall in the price of telephone and broadband Internet services.
The new data, released in ITU´s flagship annual ICT report ´Measuring the Information Society 2011´, rank the Republic of Korea as the world´s most advanced ICT economy, followed by Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland.
A key feature of the report is the ICT Development Index (IDI)*, which ranks 152 countries according to their level of ICT access, use and skills, and compares 2008 and 2010 scores. Most countries at the top of the ranking are from Europe and Asia Pacific. The United Arab Emirates and Russia rank first within their respective regions and Uruguay ranks highest in South America. Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Viet Nam, and Russia were some of the most dynamic countries between 2008 and 2010, with all of them making substantial improvements in their IDI ranks.
All countries included in the IDI improved their scores this year, underlining the increasing pervasiveness of ICTs in today´s global information society. "While the IDI leaders are all from the developed world, it is extremely encouraging to see that the most dynamic performers are developing countries," said Dr Hamadoun Touré, ITU Secretary-General. "The ´mobile miracle´ is putting ICT services within reach of even the most disadvantaged people and communities. Our challenge now is to replicate that success in broadband." This report shows that while ICT and income levels are closely related, getting the right public policy mix can drive faster take-up and a number of countries, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea have higher IDI levels than their income level would predict.
Mobile now ubiquitous
The spread of mobile networks in developing countries remains buoyant, with 20 per cent growth in mobile subscriptions over the past year and no signs of a slowdown.
In developed countries, on the other hand, mobile cellular penetration has reached saturation, with average penetration now over 100% at end 2010, compared with 70% in developing countries. With more than five billion subscriptions and global population coverage of over 90%, mobile cellular is now de facto ubiquitous.
Mobile broadband (´3G´) services are also spreading quickly; by end 2010, 154 economies worldwide had launched 3G networks. Wireless broadband Internet access remains the strongest growth sector in developing countries, with mobile broadband growing by 160% between 2009 and 2010. Countries registering the highest gains in the IDI ´ICT use´ sub-index are mostly those which have achieved a sizeable increase in mobile broadband subscriptions.
Conversely, the number of dial-up Internet subscriptions has been decreasing rapidly since 2007 and, based on current trends, the ´death of dial-up´ is expected to become a reality over the next few years.
Affordability improves, but developing world still paying too much
Globally, telecommunication and Internet services are becoming more affordable. According to the 2010 ICT Price Basket (IPB), which spans 165 economies and combines the average cost of fixed telephone, mobile cellular and fixed broadband Internet services, the price of ICT services dropped by 18% globally between 2008 and 2010, with the biggest decrease in fixed broadband Internet services, where average prices have come down by 52%.
All economies in the IPB top ten have high GNI per capita, and, with the exception of the United Arab Emirates, all are from Europe and Asia Pacific. In developed countries, average prices for ICT services correspond to no more than 1.5. % of monthly per capita income, compared with 17% in developing countries. But while broadband prices declined sharply worldwide, a high-speed Internet connection remains unaffordable in many low-income countries. For example, in Africa at end 2010, fixed broadband services cost on average the equivalent of 290% of monthly income, down from 650% in 2008.
Big disparities in speed and service quality
Comparing fixed- and mobile broadband technologies and services, the report also finds huge differences in network capacity, speed and quality.
In many developing countries, while the minimum speed for broadband (256 kbit/s) may be sufficient for email and other very basic services, it is inadequate for graphics-rich data-intensive applications and services. In addition, the report notes that the actual speed experienced by both fixed- and mobile broadband customers is often much lower than the advertised speed, and calls on ICT regulators to take steps to encourage operators to provide consumers with clearer information on coverage, speed and prices.
"A new digital divide is unfolding between those with high-speed/capacity/quality access - as is the case in many high-income countries - and those with lower speed/capacity/quality access, as is the case in many low-income countries," said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU´s Telecommunication Development Bureau. "Policy-makers should act swiftly to facilitate the spread of broadband and ensure that broadband services are faster, more reliable and affordable."
The report also points to important qualitative differences between fixed- and mobile broadband services. The average speed of a mobile broadband subscription does not usually match that of a high-speed fixed subscription and usually includes data caps, unlike the ´unlimited data´ fixed broadband offers that are now widely available. This represents a challenge for countries where mobile is the only broadband access technology available to end users - which is the case in many developing countries.
Targeting youth could be transformational
ITU research indicates that targeting students may be the most effective way to increase Internet use in developing countries. The Internet is only used by an around 21 per cent of the population in the developing world, compared with almost 70 per cent in developed countries.
The Measuring the Information Society 2011 report suggests that the main barriers to Internet use are not always related to infrastructure and price. Usage patterns show major differences related to education, gender, income, age and geographical location of users (urban/rural). For example, there is remarkably little difference in patterns of Internet use among highly educated, high-income individuals across the developing and developed worlds. People with higher educational degrees use the Internet more than those with a lower level of education, and in most countries more men than women are online.
Young people (below the age of 25) are online more than older people, and there is a higher level of Internet use among those currently in school compared with those no longer studying. Assuming that people will continue using the Internet once they have become accustomed to being online, those currently enrolled at school or university are more likely to be future Internet users, too. For young people all over the world, social networking and user-created content like blogs have become key drivers of Internet uptake.
Given that 46 per cent of the population in developing countries is below the age of 25 (representing more than 2.5 billion people), the report suggests that one of the most effective ways to increase Internet use in these countries is by targeting the younger generation - for example through connecting schools and other educational institutions, and improving enrolment rates.
* Note to editors:
The IDI combines 11 indicators into a single measure that can be used as a benchmarking tool globally, regionally, and at national level, as well as helping track progress in ICT development over time. It measures ICT access, use and skills, and includes such indicators as mobile cellular subscriptions, households with a computer, fixed and mobile broadband Internet subscriptions, and basic literacy rates. For the first time this year, the IDI´s ´ICT use´ sub-index grew more than the ´ICT access´ sub-index, reflecting the fact that many countries have reached saturation levels in terms of basic ICT infrastructure and are becoming active ICT users.
An Executive Summary of the report can be found at:
www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2011/
High resolution photos can be found at:
www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2011/31_cover.aspx
El plan digital de Nueva York
El ayuntamiento de Nueva York ha presentado su hoja de ruta para potenciar el uso de los medios digitales entre departamentos públicos, ciudadanos y el sector privado. El objetivo es incentivar la implicación de la ciudadanía, facilitar el acceso a las nuevas tecnologías, abrir datos públicos y promocionar la industria tecnológica.
Nueva York quiere liderar en EEUU el concepto de ciudad digital y parte del plan son los acuerdos con plataformas como Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare y Tumblr en el marco de una nueva estrategia para mejorar la comunicación entre ayuntamiento y ciudadanos.
El plan incluye las siguientes acciones:
- Rediseño de la web nyc.gov invitando a desarrolladores para que expongan sus ideas en un campus tecnológico este verano.
- Página oficial del ayuntamiento en Facebook, enlaces con el servicio de atención ciudadana 311 y espacio para la participación (debates, encuestas, etc).
- Canal en Twitter para informar de noticias y servicios de la ciudad con la posibilidad de recibir las actualizaciones mediante SMS: @nycgov
- A través de Foursquare se podrá hacer check-in en espacios públicos y se ofrecerá a las pymes un kit de herramientas para aprovechar las oportunidades de marketing.
- Tumblr trabajará con el ayuntamiento para mejorar la comunicación de sus departamentos y servicios utilizando su sistema para compartir contenidos.
- Aumento de la red de wifi pública y banda ancha.
- Mayor transparencia y acceso a los servicios públicos ofeciendo datos a través de APIs.
- Creación de un hub para recibir feedback de la comunidad de desarrolladores y de una App Store para la ciudad.
- Soporte del sector digital para atraer talento e inversiones.
Un ejemplo del apoyo a la industria local es, por ejemplo, que Foursquare y Tumblr son compañías de Nueva York y para la elaboración de este plan se han realizado 4.000 contactos para fortalecer la comunidad tecnológica de la ciudad.
A nivel de estrategia, el ayuntamiento cuenta con más de 200 canales en medios sociales, por lo que se centralizarán los mecanismos de intercambio de información y los departamentos recibirán asesoramiento de agencias de medios digitales.
A partir de esta colaboración pública-privada se formará un grupo de trabajo llamado SMART (Social Media Advisory & Research Taskforce) que gestionará la presencia del ayuntamiento en redes sociales y elaborará guías, recomendaciones y políticas de social media.
Descargar informe en pdf: Road Map For The Digital City
The City of Suresnes joins the Committee
The City of Suresnes, France, has recently joined the Committee of Digital and Knowñedge-based Cities of UCLG.
The City of Suresnes has recently launches the institutional project "Suresnes Digital City" that has as main objective to develop a strategic plan on ICT, having into consideration a shared diagnosis.
Appointment of Josep Roig as UCLG Secretary General
The UCLG Executive Bureau meeting in Rabat appointed Josep Roig, as UCLG Secretary General following an international recruitment process.
Josep Roig, Secretary General of Metropolis since 2000, has been involved in the Metropolitan Section of UCLG as a founding and active member since 1985. Economist by education, he has worked at the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona in different positions and was Executive Director of the University of Barcelona during the period 1990-1994.
At his appointment speech before 216 local government leaders from 40 countries, Mr. Roig expressed his gratitude for the challenging task entrusted to him and the need to strengthen UCLG´s role as network of networks working towards advocacy action and innovation.
Josep Roig will be assuming his new responsibilities upcoming September. Until then, Mr. Clarence Anthony will continue his work as Interim Manager of UCLG.
Source: www.cities-localgovernments.org
214 local and regional leaders from 40 countries come together in Rabat
The 12th UCLG Executive Bureau, hosted by the City of Rabat (Morocco), was officially opened on Thursday 23rd June by Fathallah Oualalou, Mayor of Rabat. Counting with over 300 participants, including 200 local and regional leaders from 40 countries from all continents, the Executive Bureau took place from 22 to 24 June in the capital city of Morocco.
The UCLG Executive Bureau comprises 115 members from around the world and meets twice a year. This statutory meeting was the first meeting of the Executive Bureau after the renewal of the Governing Bodies in Mexico last November.
One of the main decisions of the Bureau was the appointment of Josep Roig, Secretary General of Metropolis, as the new Secretary General of UCLG. The President of UCLG, Kadir Topbas, expressed the trust that the Organisation was putting in Mr Roig´s great capacity to carry forward the work of UCLG. The appointed Secretary General expressed his honour to be selected and his intention to work with all members and regions to make the World Organisation stronger.
The Executive Bureau was chaired by Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul (Turkey) and President of UCLG, by Co-President Antonio Costa, Mayor of Lisbon (Portugal) and by Fathallah Oualalou, Mayor of Rabat (Morroco).
On Thursday 23rd, the opening session was dedicated to local and regional governments´ working towards innovation, with presentations of Wan Qingliang, Co-President of UCLG and Mayor of Guangzhou (China), Anne-Marie Jorritsma, Mayor of Almere (Netherlands) and President of the Association of Dutch Municipalities, as well as special guests of the World Bank, Cities Alliance and representatives of national governments and financial institutions.
In his opening address, the President of UCLG, Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul, summarised the efforts of the UCLG Presidency to work on three pillars: leading the organisation; promoting membership and bringing the voice of the World Organisation before the international community. President Topbas mentionned the need to promote strong local democratic governments at the service of the citizens worldwide. He stressed the positive developments in UCLG relations with the UN and he quoted Ban Ki Moon who defined UCLG as a global ally of the United Nations in recent meetings with US mayors. He further highlighted the important work before us in updating the sustainability agenda, introducing culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development, renewing the aid effectiveness agenda and addressing the issue of health and access to basic services.
The Executive Bureau further agreed to create a Standing Committee on Gender Equality in order to truly push forward the participation of women in local decision making and to boost up the role of women leaders in all the work of UCLG.
The regional workshop on financing infrastructure investment in Africa brought together 80 local leaders of most countries in the continent and made recommendations on urban infrastructure finance in Africa.
Members further agreed to devote the Third Global Report on Local Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD III) to the Governance of Local Public Services. The Executive Bureau also dedicated a full day to redefining strategic priorities of the Organization after the first six years of existence.
The UCLG leadership called for solidarity and denounced the situation of the civilian populations which are suffering oppression and destruction by their governments, in particular currently in some countries of the Mediterranean and Middle East.
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is the biggest organization of local and regional governments in the world. UCLG represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve. UCGL´s mission is to be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community.
Bilbao selected as finalist to become the World Design Capital in 2014
Following deliberations on 9 June 2011, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) has the pleasure to announce on behalf of the members of the World Design Capital® (WDC) Selection Committee that the cities of Bilbao (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa) and Dublin (Ireland) have been selected as the three shortlisted cities that will move on to the next round of evaluation in the bid to becoming the World Design Capital in 2014.
In 2014 selection of World Design Capital will be the fourth appointment by Icsid of this biennial designation to a city, in recognition of its accomplishments in using design as a catalyst for development and reinvention, as well as for improving its social, cultural and economic environments.
After a comprehensive review of all bids submitted, the cities of Bilbao, Cape Town and Dublin distinguished themselves not only by demonstrating their individual approaches towards design in their cities, but also managed to convey the impact of these on the various aspects of social, cultural and economic life, as well as provided three very unique visions for how design will continue to reinvent their urban landscape. Furthermore, these cities demonstrated that they possessed the expertise, infrastructure and financial capabilities to successfully develop and implement an inspiring yearlong programme of international design related events, promoting design, as well as their city, on an international stage; and finally, illustrated how their citizens have and will continue to benefit from their cityʼs achievements in design.
"It was a difficult decision, but the WDC Selection Committee has shortlisted three incredibly well thought-out and all-together remarkable bids that have created unique competitive advantages for their cities through design," expressed Martin Darbyshire, WDC Organising Committee member and Icsid Executive Board Member. "These proposals have conveyed very workable and deliverable plans to use design as a means to reinvigorate their cityʼs social, cultural and economic development."
"The Bilbao City Hall, the Provincial Government of Bizkaia and the Basque Government would like to express their great enthusiasm on being shortlisted to be the World Design Capital in 2014," stated Iñaki Azkuna, Mayor of Bilbao. "Design innovation has become an essential tool to improve the competitiveness and quality of life in cities, and is necessary to enhance collaborative public-private environments with direct participation from the administrations, universities and different economic and professional agents. This is the direction Bilbao has followed to achieve its transformation over the past 25 years, and this designation will help continue the rejuvenation of our great city."
The next step in the process leading up to the final selection of the 2014 WDC designation is the city visits that will be conducted in July 2011 by members of the WDC Organising Committee. These site inspections will enable further information to be gathered in an attempt to provide the WDC Selection Committee with a more thorough understanding of the proposed programmes by each of the shortlisted cities prior to the final selection in August 2011.
The official announcement of the 2014 World Design Capital designated city will be on 26 October during the 2011 International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in Taipei, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei).
Source: www.bilbaointernational.com
UN declares Internet access a human right
As evidenced by the Facebook Revolutions and ensuing Middle East turmoil, the Internet is a powerful tool and one capable of change. Of course, its eliminating citizen use of the Web under oppressive regimes has also yielded consequences. Perhaps inspired by these effects, the UN has declared the Internet a human right. A recent report titled "Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression" declares that Internet access falls under freedom of expression.
"The unique and transformative nature of the Internet not only [enables] individuals to exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression, but also a range of other human rights, and to promote the progress of society as a whole." Special rapporteur Frank La Rue also acknowledges that the Web has become too important a tool to asserting other human rights for people to be denied its use. "Given that the Internet has become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and human progress, ensuring universal access to the Internet should be a priority for all states."
While the report may have especially poignant significance for Middle Eastern nations, it applies internationally. "Each state should thus develop a concrete and effective policy to make the Internet widely available, accessible, and affordable to all segments of population." The US National Telecommunications and Information Association (NCIA) are collaborating with the FCC to analyze the state of broadband availability in the country. Recent findings revealed that a five to 10 percent of American cannot access Internet speeds that allow basic Web functions. So if you think this is merely a third-world problem or issue with oppressive governments, you´d be wrong.
Of course, these events are why such a policy has become relevant: "The recent wave of demonstrations in countries across the Middle East and North African region has shown thekey role that the Internet can play in mobilizing the population to call for justice, equality,accountability and better respect for human rights. As such, facilitating access to theInternet for all individuals, with as little restriction to online content as possible, should be apriority for all States."
But is anything going to come out of this report? Last year, a BBC World Service study found that four out of five adults thought Internet access was a fundamental right, and participants from China, Mexico, Nigeria, Brazil, and South Korea were just among some of the countries that majorly agreed with this. Which means that despite these largely held beliefs, opponents are still denying people this alleged right.
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