Page 203 - Shaping smarter and more sustainable cities - Striving for sustainable development goals

They also have to keep researching and innovating in order to provide even better technical
solutions. In this regard, big Telecom operators or mature software companies which are usually
more financially stable, could redirect more resources toward the R&D budget, and act as important
actors in the SSC implementation phase.
New and innovative ICT companies and start‐ups can also provide also particular solutions to smart
sustainable cities challenges. Local companies can understand in a better way city operation and
have proximity with citizens.

It should also be acknowledged that the ICT companies' compliance with standards plays a key role
in the achievement of compatibility, replicability and scalability of the SSC solutions implemented
in different cities.

4.6 Non–governmental organizations (NGOs)

One of the aims of SSC is to increase social sustainability. NGOs, with their expertise on social
inclusiveness and equity, are a key asset to achieve this goal. One of their roles should be to raise
awareness on the concerns of the population, especially in regards to challenges left unattended or
that affect the weakest sectors of the society. As they already do regarding other issues, NGOs
would be ensuring that all society is and feels included in new SSC strategies. NGOs can also benefit
from the solutions and the technology adopted by the SSC in order to widen their scope, improve
their services, reach out to broader audiences, and thus expand their impact.

4.7 International, regional and multilateral organizations

There are different ways in which international, regional and multilateral organizations can help
move forward SSC initiatives. They include UN agencies with specialized mandates in various fields
that contribute to the implementation of SSC models. Examples include (but not limited to) ITU,
UNESCO, UNEP, UNDP, UNFCCC and UN Habitat. They can be promoters of initiatives towards
human development, environmental sustainability and improvement of quality of life worldwide.
They can provide funds, though their raising awareness and technical assistance programs, to help
kick‐starting SSC projects.

An example of a multilateral program that fulfils these two objectives is the "City energy Efficiency
transformation initiative" a three‐year technical assistance program with an initial budget of US$9
million. This program is led by the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program
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(ESMAP). It provides technical assistance to city governments in developing countries to integrate
energy efficiency into the core of city planning through programs that build their capacity, map out
citywide efficiency strategies, and facilitate access to development financing.
Another example of an international and multilateral technical assistance program is the "Emerging
and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI)", a program by the Inter‐American Development Bank (IDB)
that helps intermediate cities in Latin America and the Caribbean in identifying prioritizing and
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structuring projects to improve their environmental, urban and fiscal sustainability. This program
provides emerging cities with a set of tools to identify key bottlenecks that they may face in their
path towards sustainability, to weigh and prioritize the identified problems to guide investment

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33 https://www.esmap.org/
34 Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) ‐ Inter‐American Development Bank (IDB)
http://www.iadb.org/en/topics/emerging‐and‐sustainable‐cities/responding‐to‐urban‐development‐
challenges‐in‐emerging‐cities,6690.html

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