LPSA’s Regional Working Group on Asia Open Meeting took place on October 10, 2023, (3:30 Delhi, 5 pm BKK, 6 pm Manila). The meeting was opened and moderated by Madhavi Rajadhyaksha from Oxford Policy Management (OPM), who serves as one of the co-chairs of the LPSA Asia Working Group.
Helmi Abidin followed up with a presentation on the city enabling environment (CEE) assessment for Asia-Pacific implemented by United Cities and Local Governments – Asia Pacific (UCLG). The City Enabling Environment (CEE) Assessment is an attempt at understanding which “enablers” and “actors” underpin the transformation of 21st-century cities that shape the human, social and environmental challenges in our cities today.
Kanak Tiwari presented on the recent Urban20 (U20) communique under G20 India. The G20 consists of the Finance Track, the Sherpa Track, and 12 Engagement Groups of which U20 is one of the Engagement Groups. U20 is a City Diplomacy Initiative, comprising of Cities from G20 Countries. She highlighted the U20 six priority areas that are critical for inspiring city level actions to respond to global agendas. The key agendas identified include encouraging environmentally responsible behaviors, ensuring water security, accelerating climate finance, championing ‘Local’ identity reinventing frameworks for urban governance and planning, catalyzing digital urban futures. She highlighted that the U20 communique received the highest endorsements – 105 city endorsements including 50 foreign cities and 85 cities from the global south.
Rishika Das Roy from Oxford Policy Management as a discussant at the meeting, offering valuable insights and engaging in constructive discussions on the Urban20 (U20) communique.
All the discussions were followed by Q&A sessions. Madhavi Rajadhyaksha concluded the meeting by sharing details on the next quarterly meeting and updates on the upcoming plans of the working group.
A video of the meeting is available on YouTube. The links below provide access to the video segments of the different agenda items.
| No. | Agenda Item | Contributor |
| 1. | Welcoming Remarks | Madhavi Rajadhyaksha |
| 2. | Presentation on The City Enabling Environment (CEE) Assessment for Asia-Pacific | Helmi Abidin |
| 3. | Open Floor Reflections | |
| 4. | Presentation on the Recent U20, a City Diplomacy Initiative, Comprising of Cities from G20 Countries U20 Communique | Kanak Tiwari |
| 5. | Discussant on the U20 Insights | Rishika Das Roy |
| 7. | Closing Statement | Madhavi Rajadhyaksha |
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