VeniceCitySolutions – 2019 Events

For Venice City Solutions 2030, Durban represented a fundamental point of AICCRE’s strategy for the SDG’s when it was recognized as an exchange platform, laboratory of ideas and place of discussion of local authorities. The most representative event in the world of local governments took place in Durban from 11 to 17 November: the UCLG World Congress, a world reference for associations of local authorities and founding partner of the Venice City Solutions laboratory. On November 12, AICCRE organized a session of the Congress based on the final Recommendations of the 2019 edition of Venice City Solutions 2030 which was attended by prominent speakers such as Johannes Krassnitzer, director of the Art GOLD project UNDP; Diana Lopez, head of the local government and decentralization unit, UN-Habitat, Carla Rey, Secretary General of AICCRE, Miquel Rodríguez Planas, contact person for the 2030 Agenda for the Municipality of Barcelona. The Durban appointment allowed AICCRE to bring the discussion back to a forum composed by thousands of local administrators coming from all over the world, gathered to discuss issues for the sustainable development of the territories, including the SDG’s, and to launch their recommendations from Venice.

The session entitled “The role of the 2030 Agenda in creating citizenship. How can local governments use the SDGs to connect with their citizens?” saw the continuation of the topic addressed in Venice on how local governments use the 2030 agenda to reconnect with their citizens. At the same time, it gave voice to local authorities that require the creation of a comprehensive approach to be discussed at the World Urban Forum in 2020. This highlighted that local governments are ready to take on their role in the implementation phase of the SDG’s and therefore it is necessary that central governments support them with implementation and financial tools to carry out the necessary activities. A further consideration concerned the need to learn to face the continuous evolution of society, balanced with the need for local administrators to increase the sense of belonging of citizens.

A real world laboratory in Venice

Much awaited and full of expectations, the second edition of Venice City Solutions 2030 held on 24 and 25 October 2019, brought together representatives of national governments, United Nations agencies, international networks of local authorities, representatives of the world of associations, universities, civil society organisations, enterprises, NGOs and other territorial representatives. Many participants, one goal: to identify existing experiences and provide solutions to the need of restoring trust between local institutions and their citizens in view of the implementation of the SDGs. 162 participants who took part in the discussions, including central and local governments of the following countries: Italy, Belgium, Cameroon, Benin, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Madagascar, Cyprus, Cape Verde and Australia. As in the previous one, this edition also concluded with the recommendations presented at the United Nations High Level Political Forum.

The theme

The theme of the second edition of Venice City Solutions 2030 was born from the United Nations request to focus on an issue that closely concerns local authorities: the link between citizenship and the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, the event made it possible to:

• Identify existing experiences and provide solutions to the challenge of how to restore citizens’ trust with local institutions in the perspective of achieving the SDGs;
• Analyze how cities and regions are implementing the 17 SDGs in their local strategic plans, listening to the Italian experiences and the international experiences of countries on all continents.

The second edition also made it possible to broaden the discussion and to focus on SDG 17, without however neglecting the others.

Venice City Solutions lands in New York

Since the beginning of 2019, a constructive dialogue has been consolidated with the Italian Government which, thanks to Venice City Solutions, has recognized the role of local authorities in the 2030 Agenda and the role of AICCRE as coordinator of training and research actions on SDGs for Italian municipalities, provinces and regions. In confirmation of this attestation of interest, the Italian Government asked AICCRE to organize the side event of the Italian Government on July 16, 2019 for the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, based on the conclusions and recommendations by Venice City Solutions.
In terms of dissemination, the United Nations High Level Political Forum is confirmed as the most important reference point for the SDG’s.

The great protagonists of a great appointment

Participants: Xavier Michon for UNCDF; Mariangela Zappia, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations; Sergio Costa, Minister of the Environment of the Italian Government; Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Economy and Royal Development of Cameroon; Lalaina Raharimboahangy of the government of Madagascar; Carla Rey, Secretary General of AICCRE; Maimunah Mohd Sharif of UN-Habitat; Thomas Beloe for SDG’s Finance Hub; Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of UCLG, Stefano Manservisi, Director General of DGDEVCO.