The Cities for Life started at the COnference of the Parties (CoP-11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 15 October as it takes a step back from its global agenda and puts the spotlight on the role of local players in conserving biodiversity.
Just ahead of the high-level segment at CoP-11, the Cities for Life summit opened today. CM Kiran Kumar Reddy along with the mayor, Majid Hussain unveiled the Hyderabad Biodiversity Index, the first of its kind in India.
Cities for Life is being hosted by the government of India, government of Andhra Pradesh and the GHMC and is being organised by ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and CBD. Fourty seven countries from all over the world are represented here.
By the end of the next two decades, it’s estimated that over 60 per cent of the world’s population will live in Cities. Environmentalists say that this exponential increase in urbanisation, and the corresponding rise in consumption and pollution patterns, will single-handedly pose one of the biggest threats to biodiversity in modern times. In such a scenario, the role of mayors and local administrators has become vital, if any strategic target to conserve biodiversity is to be realised.
Taking this into consideration, the CBD has mobilised over 250 sub-national governments at municipal, regional and state-levels, to come together at the two-day summit, starting today.
The Hyderabad summit will take forward the agenda initiated at CoP-10, where parties adopted an action plan for sub-national governments, cities and other local authorities.
At the Conference of Mayors, governors and local authorities from different parts of the world will discuss coordination between levels of government, draft a PoA of the CoP-10 decision and innovations at the local level (by mayors of Nagoya, Bonn, Montpellier, Montreal, Curitiba and Mexico). Also being launched is the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook report by the CBD.
Speaking at the CoP-11, CM Kiran Kumar Reddy said, It is clear that in order to achieve national, regional and global targets of biodiversity conservation, both the sub-national and local level governments have to be supported to take proactive actions. This involves allocation of resources to build technical capacities to implement result oriented projects and programmes. It is my hope that the outcomes of the summit that will feed into the high level segment will encourage parties to take the next step and mobilise resources for subnational and regional governments.
The mayor said, Cities for Life provides a unique opportunity to share experiences and tools, consult experts and strengthen multi level cooperation to implement the CBD.
Postnoon 2012