CLGF was well represented at the 7th Asia-Pacific Urban Forum (APUF7) held in Penang this October, with Secretary-General Dr Greg Munro speaking at important sessions on urban finance. This included moderating the Financing the SDGs for Asia-Pacific Cities panel with representatives from Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines. 

Financial support mechanisms for cities

The aim of the session was to identify financial mechanisms to support cities in Asia-Pacific to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It looked at issues around the amount of investment for local government work on the SDGs; the opportunities and challenges for Asia-Pacific cities in financing SDGs initiatives; how to ensure that local governments can access this financing with so many different national frameworks; and how cities can ensure that their programmes are sustainable. 

Four themes

Urban finance was one of the four thematic areas identified for the Forum, together with  urban and territorial planning; urban resilience; and data and technologies for smart cities. 

With over 65% of the SDGs actionable at the local level, giving local government a voice in discussions with other key development stakeholders about the future of Asia and the Pacific Cities at APUF7 has been crucial. 

The three-day Asia Pacific Urban Forum – APUF7 - saw more than 5,000 urban stakeholders come together to exchange ideas about solutions to the changing needs of our cities with urbanisation. With most people in the region living in urban areas, cities are crucial as focal points for SDG acceleration and achievement. Local government is already tasked with providing opportunities for livelihoods, education and poverty reduction, and must now prepare itself for the increasing and inevitable demands on public services, infrastructure and the environment as a result of urban growth. 

APUF7 was organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Urbanice Malaysia, Penang Island City Council and State Government of Penang.