New York/Nairobi, 17 November 2021 -- The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) earlier this month launched their joint publication “Innovative Experiences of CitiesEnvironmental Sustainability and Climate Action through South-South and Triangular Cooperation”.

The November 10 publication is a result of the strategic partnership between UNOSSC and UN-Habitat, highlighted by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding last year, as the two organisations share similar missions and wish to cooperate to enhance the effectiveness of their development efforts.

Xiaojun Grace Wang, Deputy Director for Programme and Operations of UNOSSC, noted during the launch of the publication that “Cities and municipalities in the Global South are increasingly devising innovative approaches and practical and effective solutions to address climate change and foster environmental sustainability. Through knowledge-sharing and South-South cooperation, these successes can be adapted, replicated and scaled-up by other localities around the world.”

The report showcases innovative solutions that foster environmental sustainability and low-emission climate-resilient development in cities in developing countries. It also aims to highlight how South-South and triangular cooperation is contributing to the delivery, replication, and upscaling of those solutions.

“Over the recent years, we have learned that - while every city is unique, they also face similar and common challenges across the world. Most importantly: they have accumulated experiences to share and to learn from each other,” said Rafael Tuts, Director, Global Solutions Division, UN-Habitat.

“This publication provides selected examples of those experiences and - as we shall hear from the invited speakers - there is a need for strong local leadership and coordination between all stakeholders including local and national governments, businesses, communities and civil society organisations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by acting timely and together,” he added.

Rising sea levels and extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and storms have heavy impacts on the infrastructure, livelihoods, and human health in cities. Cities have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and are on the front line of the climate crisis. But they are also spearheading innovative solutions in many areas of low-emission climate-resilient development and environmental sustainability, including energy, transportation, water and waste management and disaster risk reduction. Cities are further increasingly joining forces and learning from each other to collectively strengthen environmental protect.

The publication features 12 case studies from 15 cities in six sectors of environmental sustainability and climate action, providing useful insights on practical and effective solutions to inspire, replicate, and upscale South-South and triangular cooperation at the sub-national level in different contexts.

The launch event will be available online in the coming weeks.