Ambassador Zappia, distinguished Presidents, Secretary-Generals, colleagues on the panel, and all participants connected today,

Greetings from New York!

It is my great pleasure to be here with you in the opening session of this year’s edition of the Venice City Solutions 2030.

Since its inception, the Venice City Solutions 2030 has convened leaders and stakeholders from around the world, as a laboratory for ideas and solutions, a catalyst for transformative change and a champion for sustainable development.  It has helped translate the global 2030 agenda for sustainable development into local actions.

Our gathering this year is particularly significant - for the challenges that we face around the world, and in our cities, now that we are all deeply affected by the coronavirus pandemic.  More than ever, Agenda 2030 should be our compass for our future development and our compass out of the crisis, moving towards a world that is sustainable, resilient, inclusive and more equal.  Visualizing Agenda 2030 in our cities, therefore, cannot be more timely and is an urgent call to action.

Covid-19 is not only a health crisis.  Its social and economic impact is affecting millions of people. The containment measures that cities are compelled to take have caused business closures, job losses and other knock-on and interlocking effects.  This, in turn, has resulted in diminished revenues for the local and regional governments, making it challenging to maintain, let alone increase, the needed service delivery. The World Bank estimates that urban poverty will be on the rise, with 115 million more people being pushed into extreme poverty in 2020. UNDP’s latest studies also show that, if the pandemic recovery becomes protracted and if we do not take measures that are SDG-centric, promote good governance and green recovery, the world will see 207 million more people remain in extreme poverty by 2030.

The Venice City Solutions 2030 this year is taking place at a critical time.  We know the challenges in urban development are extremely complex, from service delivery to clean air, from climate change to disaster prepareness, from good governance and inclusive economic growth. Imagine a complex web of policies, budgets, institutions and regulatory frameworks of governments, cities and local authorities. Single point solutions, small fixes, and siloed approaches won’t be enough.  We need to work together, with a mindset for multi-stakeholder collaboration, systems innovation and transformative change.

We have an opportunity.  The Decade of Action is thrust upon us.  The SDGs will not be achieved without the direct engagement of local and regional governments.  In this regard, we are encouraged that many local governments are already using the 2030 Agenda as their main planning instrument.

The Venice City Solutions 2030 has provided many solid examples of what is possible and necessary through local action. Experience has shown, supporting the capacities of local governments to tackle complex and inter-connected challenges is crucial. This will also require collective action.  In this regard, we believe we need to see citizens of cities not only as recipients of services but also as activie participants in co-creating solutions. UNDP has worked closely with UCLG and UN-Habitat to develop “Learning Modules for Localizing the SDGs”, and is delivering them to support local and regional governments to create local plans and report on Voluntary National and Local Reviews.

Let me reiterate UNDP’s deep appreciation for our collaboration and for the leadership of the Venice City Solutions 2030.

We thank the Government of Italy for the support all these years, including in bringing the recommendations of Venice to the HLPF at the UN.  This is important, as the UN normally interacts with national governments and this effort brings the voice of local authorities to the UN, too.

We also thank our valuable partners - UCLG, AICCRE, UN-Habitat, the UN SDG Action Campaign, and Platforma, and all who took the time to engage today, for making Agenda 2030 an agenda for all people.

I wish you all a successful event.

Thank you !