Source: Suez-environnement

The involvement of local and regional authorities is essential for envisioning new modes of development that would be more socially inclusive and sustainable. From 1 to 4 October 2013, the 4th Congress of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) will meet to mobilise all the stakeholders.

The city of Rabat (Morocco) will host the 4^th Congress of the UCLG from 1 to 4 October 2013. Some 3,000 participants are expected to attend this event including local and regional heads, as well as representatives of international organisations, of civil society partners, and of public and private sector entities. Based in Barcelona, the UCLG represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage. Any municipality or local government association can be a member this structure. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT Group is a partner to this organisation.

Designing development models to tackle new challenges

“Imagining Society, Building Democracy” will be the main theme of the world summit in Rabat. Discussions will focus on the contribution of local and regional governments to improving the quality of life and defining post-2015 development goals. These measures naturally follow from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000 by the international community. The congress will also look at how to design development models in light of the  increasing urbanisation of our societies.

Multi-platform exchanges

The debates of 3 October 2013 will cover four topics involving local and regional authorities all around the world: improving the quality of life, boosting inter-regional solidarity, supporting new forms of local governance, and promoting diversity. Each of these roundtables will be accompanied by three parallel sessions. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is organising, and will participate in, one of the round tables on the theme of “The Funding and Governance of Basic Public Services” in the form of a speech by Thierry Mallet on the comparative benefits and risks of the various types of PPP (Public-Private Partnership).

Today’s society is experiencing increasingly deep and frequent environmental and social crises. In this context, the design and operation of water, waste and power utilities is of paramount importance in reducing risk. The session on “Helping Municipalities Prepare for Crisis” will be aimed at sharing best practices in this field. The meeting will be organised by Thomas Perianu, Sustainable Development Director at SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT.

The urbanisation parameters of emerging countries will create specific organisational and financial constraints. Partnerships between local authorities, experts and utilities operators will generate new ideas for effective solutions. The session on “Funding and Governance of Basic Public Services” will introduce what Lydec, a Moroccan subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, is doing for substandard housing districts in Casablanca.

Last but not least, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT is also participating in the conference organised by the Moroccan Fonds d’Equipement Communal (FEC) and the Institut de Gestion Déléguée (IGD) on the Contractual Governance of Basic Network Services with a speech by Henry Saint-Bris, Director of International Institutional Affairs on contract management as a tool for the social inclusion of disenfranchised neighbourhoods.

You can follow the event on Twitter using the hashtag # rabat2013.