Speech by Malcolm Johnson, ITU Deputy Secretary-General
COP21 Side Event on "One UN Solutions for Cities and Climate Change" : Speech
08 December 2015, Paris, France
Excellencies
Distinguished Colleagues
Ladies and gentlemen
It is with great pleasure that I am here today to welcome you at this side event on "One UN Solutions for Cities and Climate Change". I would like to thank or distinguished speakers for being with us this evening.
We are all aware that urbanization has the ability to transform the social and economic landscape of countries, but at the same time, we need to face certain stark and often unpleasant truths emanating from rampant urbanization. Each day, around the world, mankind encounters endemic urbanization problems in cities including overcrowding, traffic congestion, pollution, excessive waste generation, and increasing numbers of slum dwellings. Our cities produce nearly 50-60% of global greenhouse gases. Urban dwellers account for 75% of the global energy consumption, and 50% of waste is generated by our cities.
However, in this increasingly complex and challenging urban landscape there is hope and light at the end of this tunnel.
ITU sees Smart Sustainable Cities as the solution. They will improve energy efficiency, competitiveness and environmental protection, and the quality of life of citizens.
Within smart sustainable cities, information and communication technologies (ICTs) can assist the transition to a global low-carbon economy. ICTs offer an array of applications that can help mitigate and adapt to climate change. It has been estimated that the use of ICTs can facilitate nearly 20% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
As the specialized United Nations agency responsible for ICTs, ITU advocates the use of ICTs to facilitate the smooth transition to smart sustainable cities through, for example, resilient and sustainable power networks, intelligent transportation systems, smart water supplies and communication networks. Remote sensing and geographic information systems will improve risk assessment and the development and application of contingency plans for emergencies.
ITU's Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities which started work in February 2013 has done pioneering work to develop the concept of Smart Sustainable Cities, which is now being carried forward by a study group to develop the technical ICT standards to support smart cities. International standards will be important to ensure interoperability and reduced costs through economies of scale.
ICTs will help attain the targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially Goal 11, which aims to "make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". It is clear that in today's world ICTs offer the best solution to many of the challenges identified in the SDGs, and ITU will be advocating and contributing to the development of ICT solutions to each SDG.
Clearly collaboration and cooperation between all the involved UN agencies, especially those represented here this evening, and the various other stakeholders, in particular municipalities, will be essential for the successful transition to smart sustainable cities. Only by pooling our efforts to build the New Urban Agenda and providing a platform to exchange views on how best to achieve it, in events such as this, can it become a reality.
So I hope that this evening's side-event will be a useful contribution to the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development - Habitat III - that will take place in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016.
The lives of future generations will depend on the choices made today. COP-21 is a crucial turning point and ITU is keen to work within the UN system and with other stakeholders to create smart cities and address climate change, and in fact to contribute to the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals through the application of ICTs.
Thank you.