ICLEI
e-News | issue 18, February 2009
A word from the Secretary General
Dear Members and Partners,
Good news: Renowned experts
have confirmed that they will join our World Congress in Edmonton,
speak to you about urban management under uncertain conditions of the
future, and discuss possible solutions.
ICLEI Founder, Jeb Brugmann, will present key facts and messages from
his book “Welcome to the Urban Revolution”, which will have just been
published, and I hope we can persuade him to be available for a
book-signing hour. The Co-Creator of the concept of the Ecological
Footprint and Executive Director of the Global Footprint Network,
Mathis Wackernagel, will provoke us by explaining that we must face
“Peak Everything”. The banker Pavan Sukhdev from the UNEP Finance
Initiative will explain why we must act faster and more radically. The
head of UN Environment Programme’s communications department, Satinder
Bindra, will invite ICLEI to partner on UNEP’s Carbon-Neutral
Network. I could go on… The Edmonton Congress “Connecting
Leaders” will keep its promise and connect municipal leaders to leaders
from the UN, NGOs, academia and business. Registration is open at
www.iclei.org/worldcongress2009.
Other developments: On 30 March
we will celebrate the opening of our new international program center
in Bonn, Germany in the presence of our President David Cadman. The
ICLEI Bonn Center, located only a few minutes away from the United
Nations Climate Secretariat, houses the new Cities Climate Center and
the Secretariat of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change.
The Bonn Center also hosts the Secretariat of the Global Alliance for
EcoMobility.
The World Secretariat’s host agreement with the City of Toronto, Canada
will expire at the end of this year, as was agreed between ICLEI and
the City last year. We have many reasons to be grateful for Toronto’s
generous hosting of ICLEI’s headquarters for 18 years. I am not aware
of any other city that has supported an organization over such a long
period. While our executive Committee has a procedure for securing a
new hosting arrangement, our Canada Office and an international team
will stay in Toronto.
The local media in Toronto have reflected a controversial Council
debate about the city’s support to ICLEI, C40 and a climate research
project – a reminder that even in progressive cities it cannot be taken
for granted that in periods of financial constraint all Councilors are
prepared to support climate change actions and actors.
I wish you all the support you deserve for your action towards
sustainability
Konrad Otto-Zimmermann
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