Tha AMB speaks for the first time at the United Nations

| Subject: International Relations

The Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) has defended the importance of local and metropolitan governments in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Alfred Bosch took part in a session on sustainable cities, debating with representatives from large global business corporations the importance of working together in order to generate new opportunities for metropolises.

The AMB travelled to New York City to take part in the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), a global event organised by the United Nations (UN)  in which representatives from the economic and civil society sectors presented their strategies to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which are part of the 2030 New Urban Agenda. For the first time, this forum included the participation of local and regional governments in its official programme. This edition's debate focused on SDG number 11: creation of sustainable cities and communities, addressing the presence of urban issues in the rest of goals.

AMB "aligned with main global goals"

Alfred Bosch, Vice-president of the AMB Area for International Relations and Cooperation, highlighted that his administration's main objective is to make more cities sustainable.

Once the 17 main goals on a global scale were established, according to Bosch "the objective is to create more intelligent cities, foster an atmosphere to enable working relationships with companies, and acknowledge the role of the citizenship throughout this process". Furthermore, he highlighted events like the Mobile World Congress and initiatives from the new industrial revolution and their impact on Barcelona and its metropolis. 

Bosch expressed "the importance of public-private cooperation based on trust. Without companies, there is not enough income, nor strength, for the public sector in terms of investing".

Bosch also stated that the AMB is aligned with the SDGs with the different policies and services it develops. "The initiatives promoted on a local level are the ones which can actually change the world in the light of the immobility shown by most states towards this kind of issues, which are basic as well as urgent".

The measures that AMB is carrying out in order to guarantee air quality in metropolises are a good example of the above-mentioned. With the Metropolitan Programme Against Air Pollution, which includes actions such as low-emission zones during contamination episodes or fostering sustainable mobility (bicycle, electric vehicle, etc.), the AMB's aim is to act on SDG number 13 (climate action).

In a territorial context, the AMB is developing important projects to fulfil SDG numbers 15 and 17, such as the drafting process of the new Metropolitan Urban Master Plan, the projects on the zone management and improvement of the Llobregat i Besòs rivers, and the Metropolitan coastal region action strategy.

The AMB is a benchmark administration on environmental issues thanks to its waste management (SDG number 12: responsible consumption and production) and water cycle systems (SDG number 6: clean water and sanitation), as well as its fostering renewable energies throughout its territory, with facility-implementation projects of solar-powered electric car charging stations and photovoltaic roofs in public buildings (SDG number 7: affordable and clean energy).

On top of that, the AMB structures its international and cooperation projects and actions aligned with the 17 SDGs. One of the most prominent ones is the commitment to the Mediterranean region, with initiatives such as working with MedCities network in the field of sustainable urban development and the support to refugees, with on-site projects and programmes such as "We Have Rights, We Weave Freedoms".

The presence of the AMB in New York City is step towards the institution's strategy of meeting the requirements of the New Urban Agenda, which began in 2016 with its participation in the Habitat III Conference in Quito and the Post-Habitat III international conference on the metropolitan dimension of this agenda, which took place in Barcelona last May.

The President of the AMB and Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau also took part in the HLPF Forum and spoke in the local and regional governments forum, in which, together with the mayors of Berlin, Montevideo and Montreal, she presented the manifesto Cities for Adequate Housing during a panel discussion..

Related documents
Where
Marker
United Nations