REPORT OF THE 4TH UCLG WORLD CONGRESS
of the steering committee and moderators were based on the practical difficulties encountered with regard to the institutional capacities of local authorities, the availability of private expertise on LED, and the manoeuvring margin offered by national institutional environments. After discussing the mobilization of finances for the programme, participants addressed the issue of the financial capacities of local authorities, which determine the implementation of local economic development strategies.
Side Event
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Walking audit An audit was conducted by the UCLG Committee on Digital Cities and that of Strategic Urban Planning, the City of Rabat and the NGO Walk 21. The audit revealed that an alignment between public transport and walking in cities is strategic. This audit also highlighted that significant programmes exist to promote public transport in the city of Rabat with, for example, the investment in the tramway (172,000 journeys per day and a network that will cover over 400km in the coming decade). They Mayor of Durban congratulated the city for this effort, recalling that African cities should reduce dependence on cars and create real alternatives for commuters and reduce pollution. A “Walking Charter” was approved and signed by 8 delegations. It underlines the need to reinforce awareness raising efforts on the importance of walking in cities as a right and policy for all. The charter is available on the following website. http://www.walk21.com/charter
Side Event
Organised by the UCLG Urban Strategic Planning Committee and the UCLG Committee on DigitalCities, City of Rabat
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The right to the city: an international dialogue for the MENA region Organised by Habitat International Coalition (HIC), HIC-Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN)
In light of the objectives of the side event, “The right to the city: an international dialogue for the MENA region, ”the panel enabled the exchange of experiences and views from various stakeholders and regions concerning progress and challenges in the realization of the right to the city. Since the notion of
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rabat 2013 - the world summit in numbers | www.uclg.org