ONLINE workshop: Launch of the “Smart Sustainable Cities for the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda in the UNECE Region” Project for Tbilisi

9 a.m. - noon CET

Language: English

The meeting was organized online in WebEx.

This event is a part of the UNDA “Smart Sustainable Cities for the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda in the UNECE Region” project, and aimed at building the capacities of local and national governments to produce evidence to feed into the evidence-based policy making process at all levels.

The workshop discussed the challenges to, and opportunities for, achieving sustainable and resilient urban development in the city of Tbilisi. The meeting was organized jointly by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and UN-Habitat with the support of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia. The objectives of the meetings were:

1. To explore challenges in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially SDG11 to "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable", and review SDG11-related objectives and targets in Tbilisi.
2. To kick off the “Smart Sustainable Cities for the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda in the UNECE Region” project for Tbilisi, and to agree on the next implementation steps of the project.
3. To introduce the U4SSC KPI Collection Methodology for Sustainable Smart Cities, and develop an action plan for the collection of data for the assessment of Tbilisi’s sustainable and smart development.
4. To introduce innovative financing tools, which can be used to attract external funds to Tbilisi’s urban development projects, aimed at its sustainable and smart development.

The workshop included sessions that: (i) highlighted the role of the UNECE/ITU KPIs for Smart Sustainable Cities in achieving sustainable urban development and improving the review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the preparation of the “Smart Sustainable City Profile of Bishkek”; and (ii) explored the roles of various financial mechanisms in delivering smart and sustainable development for the city of Bishkek.