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Forum Occasional Papers Series 14: Decentralization and Gender Equity

This paper explores the gender dynamics of decentralisation in developing and transitioning countries. The first section defines decentralisation and outlines the potential benefits and accompanying challenges. The second section explores trends in decentralisation in several countries around the world. The third section examines the role of women in decentralisation. The fourth section identifies the barriers women face when trying to enter the political arena. The fifth section identifies some of the efforts around the world that have been used to reduce these barriers. The final section concludes the paper.

Authors: Enid Slack, Zachary Spicer, Makram Montacer
Publisher: Forum of Federations
Publication Date: 2014
Copyright: Forum of Federations

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A Decade of Urban Resilience

In this publication, the UNDP and ODI analyse urban risk and resilience-related policies, frameworks, and flagship programmes. They found that only few initiatives have taken a people-centred approach while, geographically, most focus on the GLobal North. The study outlines opportunities and priorities for UNDP engagement on urban resilience and risk management.

Authors: Y. Cao, E. Wilkinson, L. Pettinotti, S.  Colenbrander, E. Lovell
Publisher: UNDP
Publication Date: 2022
Copyright: UNDP

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Guide on Connecting Green Recovery and Resilience in Cities (ReCAP21)

This publication presents three key entry points for local governments to move towards an urban transformation and a resilient recovery process. This guide supports local governments to identify comprehensive solutions that range from finance and physical interventions to cultural practices and governance arrangements that may contribute to achieving more resilient societies.

Authors: ICLEI World Secretariat, ICLEI Africa Secretariat, ICLEI South Asia, R-Cities, GIZ
Publisher: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability e.V
Publication Date: 2022
Copyright: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability e.V

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Place, Productivity, and Prosperity : Revisiting Spatially Targeted Policies for Regional Development

The latest volume of the World Bank Productivity Project series, Place, Productivity, and Prosperity: Revisiting Spatially Targeted Policies for Regional Development provides new insights into the three drivers of economic geography: agglomeration economies, migration, and distance. It demonstrates the way in which these drivers interact. In developing countries, these factors are playing out differenty than in advanced economies. for instance, urbanisation is not accompanied by structural transformation, leaving cities crowded and accruing all the negative aspects of urbanization without being concentrated productively. This publication provides a heuristic framework with which to inform policy makers’ assessments of place-based policy proposals, helping them identify the regions where policy is likely to have an impact and those that would remain nonviable.

Authors: Arti Grover,  Somik V. Lall, William F. Maloney
Publisher: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank
Publication Date: 2022
Copyright: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank

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Blockchain for Urban Development – Guidance for Urban Managers

This publication highlights potential applications of blockchain in relation to urban development and its risks related to sustainable urbanisation. Blockchain is a relatively new and rapidly developing technology that could assist in accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. A key point of the paper is that blockchain has to be combined with human-centered approaches and robust business processes. 

Author: Abdinassir Sagar, Philip Bananayo
Publisher: UN-Habitat
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: UN-Habitat

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Managing Urbanisation: A Global and Just Approach

The position paper describes the challenges of shaping a globally just urbanisation and the existing solutions - for example, the New Urban Agenda on global level, or the Amsterdam Pact on EU level. It does so by explaining why cities are central to the transition towards sustainability and how urbanisation can be made a key issue of international cooperation to achieve radical change towards socio-ecological urban development.

Author: Clara Brandi
Publisher: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.

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Leaving No Urban Citizens Behind: An Urban Equality Framework for Deploying the SDGs

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the systematic and intersectional inequalities that urban dwellers experience globally. The authors of the article point out that the SDG localisation may not achieve the aim to "leave no one behind", due to enduring contradictions across the goals, siloed approaches, or the complexities of implementation. They also provide a framework for mobilising "urban equality" through the 2030 Agenda as well as pointing out four key areas for accelerating an urban equality agenda.

Authors: Stephanie Butcher, Michele Acuto, Alexei Trundle
Publisher: One Earth, Elsevier Inc.
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: Elsevier Inc.

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People-Centered Smart Cities Playbook

This Playbook focuses on the people-centred smart cities framework and it aligns with the New Urban Agenda' shared vision #11 of ''cities for all''. It aims to make policies and programmes more inclusive and responsive to the needs of cities’ inhabitants. In so doing, it provides tools, knowledge and resources for local governments that support putting people at the centre of digital transformation.

Author: Emily Royall
Publisher: UN-Habitat

Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: UN-Habitat

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Guidelines for Voluntary Subnational Reviews

This publication underlines the importance of the Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSR) for the efforts to build a more sustainable future and achieve the SDGs. The reports are an essential instrument for raising awareness of the 2030 Agenda. The VSR offer great potential for contributing to improvements in local and regional governments' performance towards achieving the SDGs through strengthening multilevel governance and informing local and regional SDG policy. The guidelines highlight which elements will be important for subnational governments to quickly recover from the pandemic and presents guidance for a way forward.

Author: Eline Vermeer
Publisher: UCLG
Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: UCLG

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Leading Locally: The Origins and Impact of the Voluntary Local Review

Voluntary Local Reviews are a tool to measure and report to the United Nations on the progress in achieving the SDGs. New York City was the first in the world to implement this process in 2018. In 2019, the city launched the Declaration on the Voluntary Local Review. Since then, over 333 subnational governments have signed onto the Declaration’s three commitments. This report looks at the beginning of the movement and underlines the importance of localising planning, programming, and monitoring of the SDGs to achieve a sustainable future.

Editors: Aissata M.B. Camara, Tanyanika Davis, Oneika Pryce, Christopher Williams, Eduardo Moreno, Naomi Parek
Publisher: NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, UN-Habitat

Publication Date: 2021
Copyright: UCLG

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