Advancing Sustainable
Development is a joint process - a common cause for the whole global community. The UBC is
actively co-operating with numerous partners and is involved in several important joint
initiatives and policy processes: in the Baltic Sea Region, in Europe, and globally.
In these processes, the UBC, as
a democratic and representative local government organisation, is representing its
10 0
member cities, i.e. 100 democratically elected local governments. The policies being made
and the positions taken are guided by the UBC Agenda 21 Action Program , as approved by the General
Assembly (1999 and 2001), and updated by the EnvCom and the UBC Executive Board. The
policies made and positions taken are continuously being evaluated by the EnvCom and the
UBC Executive Board.
The UBC representatives in the
different forums as well as the EnvCom Secretariat are at your service. Please, do not
hesitate to contact them for further information and discussion!
Policy Processes
Globally, the UBC is co-operating with the Local Authorities of Lake
Victoria Region in Africa. This co-operation is part of a large Swedish-lead
co-operation initiative and is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency
(SIDA). The wide partnership between the UBC and the Lake Victoria Region Local
Authorities Co-operation (LVRLAC) covers several fields of development of network
activities. The EnvCom is responsible for co-operation activities in environmental and
sustainable development issues. Currently, these activities are focusing on creation of
practical demonstration centres for feasible and economic sustainability applications,
like solar cookers.
Responsible for this
co-operation in the environmental side is EnvCom Co-chair Mr. Guldbrand Skjönberg.
The major European level initiative, where we are strongly involved, is the European
Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign. This initiative currently involves over
1.650 European local authorities and ten leading European local government organisations,
the UBC being one of these. The UBC President Per
B
ødker
Andersen is representing the UBC at the Political Board of the Campaign, and
UBC Environmental Co-ordinator Mr. Risto Veivo in the Steering Committee. Currently, Mr.
Veivo is also representing the UBC in the EU Working Group on Sustainable Urban
Management.
To contact Mr. Veivo,
please, click here.
For more information on the
Campaign, please, click here.
In the Baltic Sea Region, we are contributing to Baltic 21
(Inter-governmental and multi-stakeholder Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region) by active
membership in the coordinating body (Senior Officials Group, SOG) and by being the
Responsible Actor for implementing Baltic 21 in cities (Joint Action 4, City co-operation
and sustainable development issues in cities and local communities).
Our representative in Baltic 21
SOG is Mr. Skjönberg.
Secretary for the JO4 Working
Group is Mr. Veivo.
For more information on Baltic
21, please, click here.
Another, as important, political process in the Baltic Sea Region is the Helsinki
Commission (HELCOM, Commission for the Protection of the Baltic Sea Marine
Ecosystem). In HELCOM, we are representing our members in the Program Implementation Task
Force (PITF), as well as in the overall commission with an observer status. In both Baltic
21 and HELCOM, we have also contributed with many projects and other activities.
Our representative in the
HELCOM PITF is Project Co-ordinator Mrs. Tea Nõmmann.
For more information on HELCOM,
please, click here.
Partners
In addition to the above mentioned processes, the UBC EnvCom is also co-operating
bilaterally in different projects with several other organisations on sustainable urban
development. Co-operation partners, with whom we have co-operated in several projects are,
for example, the following:
Eurocities
International Council for
Local Environmental Initiatives, ICLEI
Environmental Centre for Administration and Technology Lithuania,
ECAT-LT
Regional Environmental Centre for
Central and Eastern Europe, REC
Åbo Akademi University
In addition to the above
mentioned ones, we have also had (or are involved in) project co-operation with several
National Associations of Local Authorities in the Baltic Sea Region, with the Baltic
University Network, ECAT St. Petersburg, Wissenschaftzentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung,
Wuppertal Institute, Baltic Local Agenda 21 Forum, University of West England, City of
Bristol, and United States Regional Environmental Centre for the Baltic Sea Region.
Supporters
Many project activities of the UBC EnvCom have been financially supported by the European
Commission DG Environment.
An important supporter
is also the Nordic Council of
Ministers, as well as the Finnish Ministry of the Environment .
In addition, we have
also received co-funding from SIDA , other DG:s of the European Commission, as well as from
the World Bank, and
environmental authorities in other countries of the Baltic Sea Region.
We would like to extend our
warmest gratitude to all partners and supporters!
Responsible for the
information on this page is the commission itself
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