UN Habitat has launched a new series of the Local2030 Spotlight, this time dedicated to Urban Basic Services.

You can participate in this important debate by recording a two minute video and sharing it with UN Habitat via dropbox or twitter. 

Share a two-minute video

Local government stakeholders are invited to share the experiences and challenges faced - and the solutions designed - to providing Urban Basic Services - including energy, water, sanitation, transportation and waste management, both during the outbreak of COVID-19 and its aftermath.

An example of such a video is given by Ms. Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner for International Affairs of New York City, and relates to the debate on housing and shelter.

Should you want to participate to this week’s debate on Urban Basic Services, please upload your video by Thursday 14 May 2020.

Full details about this initiative are available on the Local2030 website.

Some considerations ahead of making your video

How cities and communities are planned and their capacity to deliver quality services influence their resilience and the living standards of their inhabitants. The current COVID-19 pandemic, and response and recovery measures, are endangering local government's capacity to deliver basic services, not least due to the severe impact on budgets and necessary restrictions on the movement of people, goods and services.

This is even more true for poor and densely populated urban areas where access to energy, solid waste management, transport and water and sanitation are often already limited; including preventive measures such as physical distancing and frequent handwashing, which are much more difficult.

• How is the pandemic affecting urban basic service delivery in your community? Which are the most affected areas?

• What main challenges has your community been facing and which are the most promising solutions that have been adopted?

• How are local governments working together with civil society and the community at large to ensure that services are being delivered?

• How to ensure that all have access to adequate sanitation, water, energy transportation and waste management, including those living in poor and crowded conditions such as slums and informal settlements?

Practical information

Record your video using your phone or camera and share it directly with UN Habitat via Twitter or Dropbox.

When recording and uploading the video, please remember the following:

• Include your name, position and institution in video title or description if uploading video on Dropbox

• Length: maximum 2 minutes

• Resolution: the maximum resolution for videos is 1920x1200 or 1200x1900

• Format: MP4 or MOV

• Size: maximum file size is 512MB

To share via Dropbox: record your video and upload it by clicking on this link.

(by uploading your video on Drobpox you are giving UN Habitat consent to republish on their social media channels and use it for advocacy purposes.

To share on Twitter: record your video and share on twitter using the hashtags #Local2030

#SpotlightServices

Share your experiences and solutions and help others by telling us how you are addressing these challenges!