5 June 2014: Three events, the World Cities Summit (WCS), the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) and the CleanEnviro Summit (CESS) 2014, have brought together over 20,000 participants in Singapore, including 30 Ministers and 130 mayors, to share experiences and technological innovations, create partnerships and to discuss innovative, integrated solutions for sustainable urbanization and water management.
Cities and urbanization must “be well planned, human-centered and environmentally sensitive,” declared UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a message delivered by Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. Ban stressed that “solutions will require conscious investment in water and sanitation, sustainable food systems, social infrastructure, low-carbon transport and sustainable energy.”
Participants at WCS 2014, which took place under the theme, ‘Livable and Sustainable Cities: Common Challenges, Shared Solutions,’ discussed urban challenges, with the aim of identifying solutions applicable to cities spanning a range of development, socio-economic and political contexts. WCS included: high-level plenary sessions and thematic tracks; the WCS Young Leaders platform, meant to kick-start multi-disciplinary initiatives for tackling urban issues; forums and site visits.
Over 130 mayors and city leaders shared best practices and discussed urban issues at a WCS Mayors Forum. Participants stressed that sustainable development requires determination, noting that city leaders have to secure financial resources from international, national and sub-national sources to implement change, while also galvanizing on-the-ground support for sustainable development goals that may not be realized during an election cycle.
SIWW focused on five themes: delivering water from source to tap; effective and efficient wastewater management; water for livability and resilience; water quality and health; and water for industries. It also included a Young Water Leaders Summit.
At SIWW, municipalities in the US and China were recognized for their innovations and achievements in water management. The Orange County (California, US) Water District (OCWD) received the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize for its MEMCOR modular membranes system, which uses a reverse osmosis system to achieve water sustainability through water reuse. The city of Suzhou, China, received the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in recognition of its achievements in preserving the original layout of its ancient city while simultaneously achieving economic transformation.
CESS focused on how cities can address waste management challenges, including through the water-waste-energy nexus. Participants shared innovations in waste management, clean management, environmental technology and recycling solutions through a series of events, including plenary and round-table sessions.
The 22nd Board Meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) also took place during the week. CESS and WCS took place from 1-4 June, while SIWW convened from 1-5 June, all in Singapore. [CESS Website] [CESS Press Releases] [SIWW Website] [SIWW Press Releases] [WCS Press Releases] [World Cities Summit Website] [Ban Statement] [UNSGAB Website]