ICLEI UPDATE

Councils are invited to join ICLEI Oceania’s new social sustainability program, Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities (CSHC). The CSHC program, commencing in July 2009, will assist councils to build vibrant and resilient communities – fundamental to community sustainability.

The first CSHC program element focuses on alcohol, tobacco and drugs harm minimisation. It seeks to use local government functions to better plan safe and healthy communities by managing liquor outlet density and operating hours, encouraging mixed use and diverse economic activities, supporting sporting facilities and clubs, and leading local networks to manage alcohol and other drugs-related harms.

With the valued input from 20 foundation member councils who have worked with ICLEI Oceania in an establishment phase since 2008, we have gained valuable feedback to develop the basis of a complete program management process.

We are therefore pleased to announce the program's launch and invite you to join, attend a briefing session in your state or request further information. Places in the program are limited.

Please contact Mark Boyd, Director – Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities, or visit the CSHC website.

Based on the learnings of the Adaptation Initiative Pilot Project, ICLEI Oceania has developed a structured capacity building program on climate change adaptation, called Adaptive and Resilient Communities (ARC).

The program focuses on achieving tangible increases in community resilience and improvements to councils’ adaptive capacity.

The program methodology draws on existing approaches in CCP Australia, other well-established ICLEI Oceania campaigns and programs, and on expertise gained through the work of other ICLEI offices, such as ICLEI USA’s Climate Resilient Communities Program. Adaptive and Resilient Communities is modeled on the adaptive management framework used in the ICLEI Adaptation Toolkit.

Adaptive and Resilient Communities is in its development phase and ICLEI Oceania staff are working hard to complete program development for implementing a one-year ARC Program Establishment Phase in 2009/10. As part of this establishment phase, ICLEI Oceania has sought expressions of interest from twenty councils willing to participate as Foundation Councils.The specific objectives of the ARC Program are to:

• increase the ability of local governments to assess their vulnerability to climate change
• facilitate informed local government decision making on climate change impacts, based on climate change science
• apply adaptive management tools to assist councils in prioritising and implementing adaptation actions
• build the capacity of local government staff and leaders on effective implementation of adaptation strategies
• facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation planning with other key processes at council, including climate change mitigation
• enable peer-to-peer learning and advancement in a national and international network of councils working on climate change response.

If you would like to find out more about the Program, please contact Hartmut Fuenfgeld, Manager Climate Change Adaptation, Ph: +61 (0)3 9660 2216.

Work in Indonesia to establish a resilient cities network – the Indonesian Climate Alliance – is progressing well. ICLEI Oceania is in discussions with the Ministry of Environment, the national cities association and AusAid to develop a model for the network and a funding base, and all parties are very interested.

We see this network as an umbrella for a range of ICLEI activities including events, training, information, advocacy and development of climate risk tools tailored to Indonesian cities.

We are also talking with the German development agency GTZ about a memorandum of agreement and possibly opportunities for ICLEI Oceania to undertake technical research and development work for GTZ.

This coming month Steve Gawler, Country Director Indonesia, will be travelling to Bangkok for a Rockefeller Foundation workshop. He will then go to Istanbul for an international conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation, focusing on how to translate national policies into local action.

The Australasian Mayors Council for Climate Protection (AMCCP) was established two years ago this month and has provided a network of 238 mayors of CCP councils across Australia and New Zealand with a voice for their actions in response to climate change.

The establishment of the AMCCP was aimed at accelerating local actions; today the agenda encompasses advocacy for national and state government support, including funding, for local actions.

The role of the AMCCP today is to ensure that we build on the gains that have been made through voluntary local greenhouse action and build the capacity of our communities to be adaptive and resilient to climate impacts.

A Coordination Committee, comprising a mayor from each state and territory and five mayors from New Zealand, drives the AMCCP agenda. The Committee assists ICLEI Oceania to develop its program in response to local needs and issues. The promotion of local actions through the climate mayors website has assisted in the advocacy role of the AMCCP. Advisory Groups have been established in each of the states to provide advice and networking on state-based issues and opportunities.

For further information on the work of the AMCCP, or to express interest in being a member of a state-based Advisory Group, contact Martin Brennan, Deputy CEO, Ph: +61 (0)3 9660 2299.

Green Pages, a leading voice in sustainable business practice, is entirely focused on supporting growing green businesses. Green Pages produces an Annual Lifestyle and Business Eco Directory with over 6000 sustainable products and services Australia wide. They also produce quarterly lifestyle magazines and a website driving the international growth and demand for sustainable business in the wider market.

Look out for special deals in May 2009 by visiting the ICLEI Oceania Sustainable Industry Promotion website. This will also provide information on reduced rates on Green Pages subscriptions and access to the weekly E-Newsletter, GREEN RAZOR, with all the latest eco news, events and updates keeping you in touch with sustainability.

For more information see the Green Pages website.