TOWARDS A COMMON CAUSE CITIES AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IN THE COMMONWEALTH: A CALL FOR ACTION PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER This paper calls for the development of a programme of concerted action across the Commonwealth focused on the delivery of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements. Transformational leadership and a commitment to Commonwealth principles of good governance, democracy and the rule of law will help ensure cities and human settlements which are inclusive centres of innovation and economic development, and communities which are resilient and able to combat the global threats of poverty, climate change, bio-diversity loss and the depletion of natural resources.
BACKGROUND, THE GLOBAL CONTEXT Humanity faces three existential threats: climate change, loss of biodiversity and depletion of natural resources. Failure to address these issues swiftly and decisively will give rise to:
A progressive and potentially uncontrollable increase in average temperatures with corresponding sea level rises together with extreme weather events; Accelerating species loss together with disruption of the ecosystem, with serious consequences for agriculture and food production; Over exploitation of non-renewable resources including minerals together with depletion of freshwater aquifers and deforestation leading to critical resource shortages.
Scientific evidencei,ii has highlighted the need for a decade of concerted action, from 2020-2030, in which we must take steps to reverse these trends: to halt climate change, maintain biodiversity and conserve natural resources.
THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Dealing with these issues is a first order priority and has formed the basis for a number of international agreementsiii,iv,v. These agreements underpin the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentvi, expressed in the form of 17 Sustainable Development Goalsvii, which are indivisible and interdependent, apply to all nations of the world and call for engagement from all sections of society, ie both public and private sectors.
THE CENTRALITY OF CITIES AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT With 2.5bn more people projected to live in urban areas by 2050, it has long been recognised that ‘Our struggle for global sustainability will be won or lost in cities’viii. Delivered effectively, Sustainable Development Goal 11, ‘to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’ is widely recognised as being one of the Goals through which we can have the greatest impactix. Cities constitute the places where the majority of the world’s population now live, where people interact with one another and through which we significantly impact the natural environment both directly and indirectly. Cities are also centres of innovation, places of opportunity; engines of economic growth and trade. Well-planned cities and human settlements provide an opportunity to capture the benefits of agglomeration, are resilient and sit comfortably in their environment, promoting prosperity, inclusion and social cohesion. Page 1 of 3