EU’s WORLD CITIES PROJECT PAIRS Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, Cape Town and eThekwini WITH FOUR TOP EUROPEAN CITIES
TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES IN SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION
Tshwane 03 April 2017: Four South African cities – Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay, Cape Town and eThekwini – are being paired with four European cities – Bilbao (Spain), Belfast (UK) – Graz (Austria) and Málaga (Spain) – under the new World Cities project. This European Union (EU) initiative – supported by the European Parliament – promotes long-term working relations between cities of the EU and cities in other countries, such as the Republic of South Africa, with whom we share a strategic partnership.
The overall aim of the project is to promote better urban policy and thereby improve the quality of life in participating cities. The cooperation agenda with the Republic of South Africa will require the identification of pilot regions and cities and the development of concrete actions for implementation. This covers, for example, urban innovation (the smart city) and green technologies (energy efficiency, low carbon development). Actions are designed to increase so-called ‘triple-helix cooperation’ between governments, research and business. World Cities will also create opportunities for business and new jobs while pursuing the sustainable development of the cities involved.
The initiative was launched at the Launch Meeting held in Ekurhuleni today in the presence of Mr Roland Hunter, Head of the Economic Development Department of the Cities Support Programme (CSP) of the National Treasury, 20 European city delegates and senior officials of the involved South African cities. The EU was represented by Dr Marcus Cornaro, EU Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa and Dr Ronald Hall, Principal Advisor, EU Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, Brussels.
Documentation
00_Welcome & intro_Roland Hunter CSP