WCC 2020 Res 067 - Activity Report

Developing the Urban Innovation Priority Project the Secretariat designed a new innovation priority project to strengthen and expand IUCN’s urban work. The project commenced in mid-2022 with the objectives of enhancing urban expertise within the Secretariat, developing an urban toolbox and refining IUCN’s service offerings to cities, mobilising resources and developing new lines of business with cities.
Convening stakeholders to advance urban conservation action – the Secretariat organised the first IUCN Local Action Summit and Urban Planet Pavilion during the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille. The former was attended by 13 local government leaders all of whom announced bold action pledges for nature, while the latter provided a central gathering place for deliberating on urban conservation research, policy and practice. More recently, at the IUCN Leaders Forum in Jeju, South Korea, IUCN organised a high-level panel for urban leaders and co-hosted the AIPH World Green City Awards 2022.

Developing the IUCN Urban Nature Index: the Secretariat has published a first edition of the IUCN Urban Nature Index and begun working with a group of leading cities to roll it out globally. To date, over 30 cities have expressed their intention to implement the IUCN Urban Nature Index. Additionally, a digital platform for the index is now under development.
Publishing case studies via PANORAMA Solutions – the PANORAMA Cities community has continued to grow with the curation of IUCN Secretariat and the World Bank. Today, some 218 urban solutions have been published via the portal.