- The World Bank and the city of Paris, France are joining forces to support sustainable city efforts across the globe, especially cities and metropolitan regions in developing and emerging economies.
- In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the World Bank and Paris agree to cooperate on sharing knowledge, tools, and good practices with other territories and cities.
Under this MoU, Paris will become a Knowledge Partner under the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GPSC), which is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to work with the Bank in sharing knowledge and experience to support cities in the following areas:
- Climate change, urban environment, and sustainability issues;
- Inclusive cities including underprivileged groups and refugees;
- Urban management, urban design and public spaces, mobility and spatial development issues; and
- Disaster risk management and urban resilience.
“This is an exciting opportunity for cities around the world to learn from one of the leading cities in the world in urban design, public and green spaces, and climate smart resilient development,” said Sameh Wahba, World Bank global director for urban, disaster risk management, resilience, and land. “We are pleased to partner with Paris to bring that knowledge to a global level for all to benefit from.”
“The City of Paris is looking forward to this mutually rewarding association with the World Bank and the GPSC. Solidarity and international exchanges are a priority of this municipality, especially on themes related to environment preservation,” said Emmanuel Grégoire, first Deputy Mayor of the City of Paris.
Grégoire added: “In this period of transition, a sharing community becomes essential and I am delighted to see that the World Bank is sharing its knowledge in such a concrete and generous way. This agreement marks the beginning of fruitful exchanges with our partners, which will provide important input to our staff and Parisians.”
Author: Babalwa Bungane
This article was originally published on ESI Africa and is republished with permission with minor editorial changes.
An initiative by French President, Emmanuel Macron, the Africa France Summit will be the largest investment summit of its kind between Africa and France. The theme is ‘Sustainable Cities’ and South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, will lead a 30 strong delegation to the summit. There will be over 50 other African heads of state in attendance. It is the first of a kind event combining both the public and private sector in a ‘Sustainable City’ designed exhibition plus summit. It is an Africa/France but also an Africa/Africa summit. The scope and scale is unprecedented.
