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Category: News

“You can only rebuild a city in close collaboration with the local authorities”

On 5 June 2023, the conference “What reconstruction for Ukraine? What has been lost and achieved in one year?” was organized by the Geneva Cities Hub and the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) with the participation of the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv …

New treaty on plastic pollution: outcome and follow-up

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution met for its second session in Paris (May 29-June 2, 2023) to resume negotiations on a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution. While the time-frame for the negotiations is relatively short (the treaty is expected to be finalized by the end of 2024), delegations agreed to …

Interview of Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David, Governor of La Union

Governor of La Union Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David granted Geneva Cities Hub an interview. This is a follow-up to her participation at the Mayors’ High-Level Presentations during the WSIS Forum 2023 in Geneva. What was the purpose of your visit to Geneva and what was its highlight? I had the privilege of being invited by the …

Mayors are critical to refugee inclusion

On 17 May 2023, the Geneva Cities Hub, the Mayors Migration Council, UCLG and the Mayors Mechanism joined forces to speak on behalf of the Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) constituency at the 2nd formal preparatory briefing of the Global Refugee Forum (GRF, Geneva, 13-15 Dec 2023). As the international community prepares for the second …

Suggested language for cities in the new Plastic Pollution Treaty

As the Geneva Cities Hub prepares to attend the second session of the negotiations on a new treaty against plastic pollution (INC-2, Paris, 29 May -2 June), it has provided inputs to the compilation that the UNEP Secretariat prepared, based on the States’ submissions. The objective of these inputs is to ensure a meaningful inclusion …

The GCH goes to the 2nd UN Habitat Assembly

As an organization that seeks to better connect LRGs to multilateral diplomacy, the Geneva Cities Hub will take part to the 2nd session of the UN Habitat Assembly (Nairobi, 5-9 June) focusing on “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in times of global crises.” On 8 …

A special status for cities and regions at the United Nations

Last month, the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB)[1] released its report “A Breakthrough for People and Planet: Effective and Inclusive Global Governance for Today and the Future”. The report addresses an issue which stands at the centre of the Geneva Cities Hub’s mission: providing formal status to cities and other local and regional …

The Seoul Smart City Prize application is now open!

The Seoul Smart City Prize is a new initiative launched by WeGO and its President City, Seoul. It was designed to promote an innovative and inclusive smart city model that focuses on the quality of life of vulnerable communities. The Seoul Prize aims to: The application is open until 31 May 2023. Cities, companies, organizations, …