National and Local Dialogue (Monday, May 15)

This session aims to foster an exchange of ideas among national and local government on National Urban Policy. Spaces of dialogue among different level of government on urban issues are rarely seen at international level, thus, the session will sit together Mayors and representative from national government so as to make a follow up of the actions and policies taken from Quito until now and to expose current challenges on NUP process. This session will also identify common issues and good practices to develop urban policies among different levels of government.

National and local level dialogue will be held in a single auditorium with panelists from both the local and national government. A Moderator will promote a Question and Answer discussion where panelist may address direct question from each other. A Q&A from the public will have a space at the end of the interventions.  

Regional Experiences Roundtable (Monday, May 15)

The aim of the Regional Experience Sessions is to promote dialogue on National Urban Policy between regional stakeholders in order to establish how National Urban Policy can be beneficial not just at the country level, but also for a region. Moreover, participants can discuss how they can work together in their region to support the development of National Urban Policy. In some case, such as in the Arab States, there is an existing Regional Programme on National Urban Policy. This session will give the opportunity to discuss ongoing activities of established Regional Programmes and may be an opportunity to discuss opportunities to set up similar Regional Programmes in other regions.

The Regional Experiences will be held in five parallel sessions, each of them representing a world’s region. Each group will have a moderator who will lead the discussion through questions on the challenges, lessons and opportunities for National Urban Policy, in that region.

Thematic Sessions (Tuesday, May 16)

These thematic sessions will aim to demonstrate the important linkages and intersections between National Urban Policy and different thematic areas. National Urban Policy acts as an “umbrella” urban policy thus inevitably both impacting and being impacted by different sectoral topics in any given country. These sessions will aim to outline how to incorporate different themes into National Urban Policy and also how National Urban Policy can be used to promote different sectorial areas of work.

The Thematic Sessions will be held in parallel groups which will be allocated in different spaces where experts on a specific topic will lead the discussion. Suggested topic include climate change/green growth, data for NUPS, population dynamics, and the SDGS, urban-rural linkages, gender, youth, diversity and migration, slum upgrading, etc.

Country Experiences Sessions (Tuesday, May 16)

Learning from the experiences of peers is one of the most effective ways for policy makers and practitioners to learn about National Urban Policy. The aim of the Country Experiences sessions is to allow a forum for country representatives that are currently in the same phase of National Urban Policy development to present the experiences from their country, listen to the experiences of their peers, and discuss their mutual challenges and successes when it comes to that particular phase of National Urban Policy. The sessions will enable participants to meet and connect with Conference participants whose countries are in the same phases of National Urban Policy development.

The development process of a National Urban Policy entails different phases and some countries have advanced more than others in this process. The Country Experiences sessions will be divided into the National Urban Policy process phases. Each session will be led by representative(s) from a country that has already undergone that particular National Urban Policy phase. The country representative(s) will lead the session of each stage by sharing their experience(s) and explaining how they overcame challenges presented and capitalized on opportunities in that phase. The session will be attended by representatives from other countries who are currently in that particular National Urban Policy phase, and their ongoing experiences will be presented.

The testimonies by the leading country on the aspects that have or have not worked within that phase and the presentations from countries that are currently undergoing that phase will generate discussion about participant experiences which will enable peer learning and will benefit country policy makers and practitioners.

National Urban Policy Phases:

Feasibility: The Feasibility Phase is the first phase in the National Urban Policy process and should be used to gain an initial understanding urban development and make the case for the need of a National Urban Policy. In this sense, a Feasibility study can include the measurement of current weakness and opportunities of urban development in that particular country context. What factors are key to make a feasibility study? Who are the key stakeholders to be involved? What are the key outputs of a Feasibility study?

Diagnosis: The Diagnosis Phase is the phase where key data and evidence on population dynamics, urban growth trends, etc are collected. This data will act as the foundation for decisions made regarding the priorities of a National Urban Policy, the implementation of the policy and its monitoring and evaluation.

Formulation: The Formulation phase includes the prioritization of policy problems, the drafting of the National Urban Policy, and associated legal and financial strategies, in order to ensure the implementability of the policy. Why is important to include stakeholders in Formulation process? How to identify and include the stakeholders?

Implementation: The Implementation Phase is the phase in which the policy and policy plan developed in the Formulation Phase is actioned. How is it possible to effectively implement a NUP? Which kind of entity should ideally lead the process and how is it possible to ensure other stakeholders are involved?

M&E: Considering that the implementation of a National Urban Policy and its associated impacts are usually on a long term time scale, monitoring and evaluating a National Urban Policy can be undertaken throughout the policy implementation process. How is it possible to evaluate the outcome and impacts of a NUP cialis kaufen schweiz? Which indicators should be used to measure NUP goals? How can baseline data for NUP be effectively collected?

Paris Field Tour (Wednesday, May 17)

The main aim of this one day field tour is to allow international participants to learn from the French experience of urban planning and policy, specifically regarding best practices and lessons learnt from selected urban development projects. The Field Tour will give participants the opportunity to reflect on the French urban experiences and ultimately allow this information to inform the development of a National Urban Policy in their country. The participants will be shown examples of how the Government of France has managed to address all the issues related to urban development and management and will be given the opportunity following the Field Tour to discuss their impressions and consider how what they have seen could inform the development of a National Urban Policy in their country.

Capacity development for National Urban Policy (Thursday, May 18)

Current challenges of urbanization requires coordination that needs policy makers with particular skills. In order to gain these skills, capacity building is essential to achieve sustainable development and ensure planning and implementations are done following good practices and addressing at the same time the specificities of each region.  

The Capacity Development sessions will aim to enhance different capacities that policy makers and practitioners require in order to successfully develop, implement, and monitor and evaluate a National Urban Policy. Organizers will engage participants both before and after the session in order to promote institutional change and the transfer of knowledge back to participant’s institutions following the Conference. Ultimately the sessions will aim to strengthen the capacity of policymakers to understand the opportunities and challenges of National Urban Policy in their country context and begin to understand how to develop, implement, and monitor and evaluate a National Urban Policy.

The participants will be divided in small groups where experts from UN Habitat, OECD and other organizations will lead capacity development sessions on specific topics regarding the development process of National Urban Policies. Details of the specific sessions will be released at a later date.

To receive more information on organizing or co-organizing a session please fill in the contact form here.