Working-level Staff Online Meeting
G-NETS Working Group Plenary Meeting
G-NETS (Global City Network for Sustainability) Working Group Plenary Meeting was held online. The working group was newly established to focus on issues of particular interest to participating cities among common urban challenges and to engage in more in-depth discussions. A total of 47 cities participated in the kick-off plenary session, where they shared their knowledge and experiences by presenting their challenges, backgrounds, and specific initiatives in five sessions. In the future, we will continue discussions with participating cities on the themes of each session and promote more practical measures to solve common urban issues.
▶️Dates:
September 28, October 3 and 4, 2023
▶️Session Theme:
September 28: Women's Empowerment (Inclusive and Just Societies)
October 3: Flood and Drought (Safe and Secure Cities), Water Management (Environment)
October 4: Public-Private Partnership and Utilization and Development of Startups,
Green Building and Green Transportation (Environment)
Participating Cities
Participation: 47 cities
Presentations: 22 cities (in order of presentation)
| Women’s Empowerment | Rotterdam, Tokyo, Amsterdam, New South Wales, Montreal |
| Flood and Drought | Tokyo, Taipei, Jakarta, Rotterdam, Brisbane, Nairobi, Thinadhoo |
| Water Management | Tokyo, Ulaanbaatar, Delhi, Airai State, Bangkok |
| Public-Private Partnership and Utilization and Development of Startups | Tokyo, Berlin, Rotterdam, Helsinki, Tel Aviv, Brasilia |
| Green Building and Green Transportation | Tokyo, Helsinki, Rotterdam, Nice, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Tirana |
Audience: 25 cities (in alphabetical order)
Abu Dhabi, Amman, Auckland, Baghdad, Beijing, Cairo, Durban, Denver, Edinburgh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Laamu, Malmö, Munich, New Taipei, Paris, Reading, Reykjavik, São Paulo City, Seoul, Stroud, Vienna, Incheon
Discussion content of each session
【Women’s Empowerment】
● Share various approaches to promoting women’s advancement (e.g. raising awareness, efforts to ensure women’s safety etc.)
● Implications of the linkage between environmental issues and gender inequality, such as efforts to encourage women’s participation in climate change measures
● Discussion on the importance of men’s involvement, sharing approaches to behavior change of men
| Rotterdam | Climate change & women empowerment |
| Tokyo | Efforts to raise awareness for promotion of women's activities (Unconscious bias, support for men in housework and childcare, etc.) |
| Tokyo | Women's participation in the decision-making process for women's empowerment (networking of women leaders, fostering women entrepreneurs) |
| Amsterdam | Gender equality policies (sexual violence, improving inequality in care and labor) |
| New South Wales | Women’s Safety Charter （Safer places for women, girls and everyone） |
| Montreal | Initiatives to expand women's rights and improve their living conditions |
【Flood and Drought】
● Share the development of urban plans, strategies and frameworks for natural disasters
● Share measures and mitigation methods, including water storage and drainage systems that utilize technology, and measures that lead to behavior change among citizens through warning systems
● Suggestions for secondary damage from landslides and other water damage
| Tokyo | Urban flood countermeasures (Regulating reservoirs) |
| Taipei | Flooding and Drought Information System Application |
| Jakarta | Flood control (reservoirs, early flood warning systems, etc.) |
| Rotterdam | Approaches to urban development and climate adaptation (use of public space, rainwater reuse, etc.) |
| Brisbane | Flood and Drought Damage and Policies |
| Nairobi | Flood mitigation measures associated with the El Niño phenomenon (cleaning of waterways, educational activities, etc.) |
| Thinadhoo | Flood mitigation projects (Aquacell, HDPE pipes, etc.) |
【Water Management】
● Shared increased risk of floods and droughts due to climate change
● Share the importance of building water infrastructure in collaboration with central and foreign governments and the private sector
● Share water infrastructure development and flood prevention measures through innovation and the use of the latest technology.
| Tokyo | Technology for advanced water purification treatment, earthquake resistance of water supply facilities, etc., and leakage prevention |
| Tokyo | Sewerage maintenance and management technology |
| Ulaanbaatar | Water Supply Management in Ulaanbaatar (Current status of water resources and pipelines, water supply enhancement projects, etc.) |
| Delhi | Current status of water management in Delhi (water reclamation, rainwater harvesting, etc.) |
| Airai State | Water supply system (dams, etc.) in the Airai state |
| Bangkok | Disaster water management (polder, drainage system, etc.) |
【Public-Private Partnership and Utilization and Development of Startups】
● Share specific support measures for startups such as providing innovation space and pilot test environments, funding, business matching etc.
● Discussed the importance of technology in startup support, including the establishment of public-private partnerships for the development of green innovations, especially technologies that can help solve social issues such as the environment
● Share the importance of cooperation between startups and cities, including funding from the public and private sectors in order to root startups in the community.
| Tokyo | Development of “Global Innovation with Startups” （Tokyo Innovation Base, SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Global Startup Program, etc.） |
| Berlin | Overview of Initiatives for Startup Utilization and Collaboration in Berlin |
| Rotterdam | Public-Private Partnerships in Smart Energy Systems |
| Helsinki | Testing Platform for Innovation Enablement |
| Tel Aviv | Leadership Forum on Public-Private Climate Partnerships |
| Brasilia | About the Technology Innovation District “BIOTIC” |
【Green Building and Green Transportation】
● Sharing of mobility and building technologies for zero emissions, as well as ordinances and systems to support the introduction
● Discussed the importance of involving residents, the business sector and the other stakeholders in urban development
● Share about transportation infrastructure development, considering inclusiveness, including safe use by children and women.
| Helsinki | Embodied carbon in buildings and construction |
| Rotterdam | Rooftop Activation Strategies |
| Nice | Nice Metropolitan Mobility |
| Buenos Aires | Sustainable Mobility Plan & Climate Action Plan |
| Rio de Janeiro | Bringing People Back To Downtown Area -Promoting the retrofit of buildings- |
| Tirana | Green City Action Plan |