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Sixty-eighth session of the Commission

Sixty-eighth session of the Commission

“Smart Sustainable Cities: Drivers for Sustainable Development”

09 - 10 April 2019
Room XVIII, Palais des Nations, Geneva Switzerland

The 68th session provides a forum for the consideration of issues of importance for the economic integration and cooperation among the countries of the region and is an opportunity to review the progress of the Commission’s activities.

The high-level segment will be held under the theme “Smart Sustainable Cities: Drivers for Sustainable Development.” Discussions will focus on national priorities and good practices related to sustainable cities in the region, UNECE initiatives aimed at supporting governments in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, and the impact of relevant UNECE norms, standards and Conventions at the national and regional level. The segment will consider how cities can provide inhabitants of all ages with a high quality of life, not leaving anyone behind, while becoming centres of innovation and competitiveness.

The second day of the Commission Session will be dedicated to the general segment that covers regular agenda items (including report on the activities of the Executive Committee; issues requiring a decision; election of officers; adoption of the report of the session).

The Commission session will be preceded on 8 April 2019 by a Day of Cities. To inform the intergovernmental discussions of the 56 UNECE member States, Mayors will discuss how to create smart sustainable cities, focusing on ways to improve the quality of life of people and on improving efficiency of urban operations, services and competitiveness. An exhibition and information fair invites participants to showcase their success stories, and present useful tools that help to embrace smart and sustainable practices.

 

Documents

Document Symbol N° Document Title ENGLISH FRENCH RUSSIAN
  Programme of the High-level Segment, 9 April 2019 (as of 8 April 2019) PDF    
E/ECE/1487 Annotated provisional agenda for the 68th session  PDF PDF PDF

E/ECE/1488

Report PDF PDF PDF
E/ECE/1489 Toolbox of the Economic Commission for Europe: Instruments to support the transition to smart sustainable cities PDF PDF PDF
E/ECE/1490 Consideration of the high-level statement PDF PDF PDF
E/ECE/1491 Report on activities on the Executive Committee PDF PDF PDF
E/ECE/1492/Rev.1 Other issues calling for decision by the Commission PDF PDF PDF
  List of Participants PDF    

Statements

68th Commission session  

     

 

Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 and 10 April 2019 

 

         

 
         
 

Opening and welcome

English

Russian

 
 

H.E. Mr. Janis Karklins, Chair of the Commission

PDF

   
 

Ms. Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of UNECE

PDF

   
 

Mr. Michael Moeller, Director-General, UNOG

PDF

   
 

Video message by H.E. Ms. Inga Rhonda King, ECOSOC President, on the occasion of the 68th session of the Economic Commission for Europe

video

   
 

High level segment

     
 

H.E. Mr. Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus 

 

PDF

 
 

H.E. Mr. Sergey Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Minister, Russian Federation 

 

PDF

 
 

H.E. Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan 

PDF

   
 

H.E. Mr. Walter Stevens, Ambassador, Head of the Permanent Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations in Geneva

PDF

   
 

H.E. Mr. Ciprian Lucian Rosco, Secretary of State, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Romania

PDF

   
 

H.E. Mrs. Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent mission of Austria

PDF

   
 

H.E. Mr. Didier Chambovey, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva

PDF

   
 

H.E. Mr. Milorad Sćepanović, Permanent Representative of Montenegro to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva

PDF

   
 

H.E. Dr. Hans-Peter Jugel, Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva

PDF

   
 

Mr. Howard Solomon, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, United States of America

PDF

   
 

Ms. Inguna Berke, Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva

PDF

   
 

Mr. Robert Cook, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva

PDF

   
 

Mr. Xavier Cadoret, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress of the Council of Europe

PDF

   
 

Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

video

   
 

Ms. Olga Algayerova, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
The work of UNECE on smart sustainable cities

PDF

   
 

Dr. Stefano Marta, Coordinator, Territorial Approach to SDGs, Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development Division, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

PDF

PPP

   
 

Mr. Wolfgang Teubner, Regional Director, ICLEI - Global network of 1,500 cities, towns and regions committed to building a sustainable future Local Governments for Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities in working towards the 2030 Agenda

PDF

PPT

   
 

Key issues and outcomes from the Day of Cities 

     
 

Ms. Elena Szolgayova, Director General, Ministry of Transport and Construction, Slovakia, and Chair, Committee on Housing and Land Management

PDF

PDF

   
 

Ms. Ingvild Gundersen Little, National Coordinator, The Norwegian WHO Healthy Cities Network

PDF

PPT

   
 

 Roundtable: "Regional and national solutions towards smart sustainable cities and the impact of UNECE instruments"

     
 

Session 1: Measuring Performance in the Transition to Becoming a Smart Sustainable City

     
 

Mr. Robert Dijksterhuis, Head of Division, Spatial Policy Division, Ministry of Interior and Kingdoms Relations, The Netherlands 

PDF

   
 

Mr. Dag Olav Tennfjord, Mayor Skodje, Norway

PDF

   
 

Session 2: Towards the Circular Economy - Innovation Policies for Smart Cities

     
 

Mr. Ciprian Lucian-Rosca, Secretary of State, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Romania

Circular Economy and Innovation: The case of Romania

PDF

   
 

Mr. Marco Grossmann, Member of the Board, Ecos Consultants

Swiss Circular Cities: Challenges and Opportunities

PDF

   
 

Session 3: Increased Road Safety and Sustainable Transport in Cities

     
 

Ms. Anna Hornung-Soukup, Chair of the Board of TPG in Geneva

 Bringing sustainable transport solutions through public transport

PDF

   
 

Mr. Robert Thaler – Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism, Austria

The contribution of the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) to facilitating sustainable transport

PDF

   
 

Session 4: Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Cities

     
 

Mr. Andrei Isac, NGO Eco-Contact, Moldova

Strategic environmental assessment in cities

PDF

PDF

   
 

Mr. Jan Zeitler, Mayor of Überlingen (Germany)

“The concept of the Regional Garden Show Überlingen as an opportunity to improve the ecological footprint of cities”

PDF

PDF