Dear UBC colleagues,
We have faced a very active second part of 2021, with various strategic frameworks we have co-developed with you, finalising large projects with pilots and solutions that can now be replicated in other cities, while the member cities' experiences and knowledge are being taken further to the regional policy level. Further, the year 2021 saw remarkable progress on the local level towards meeting the European Union's climate targets and UN Agenda 2030 where many of our member cities showed strong leadership by joining worldwide initiatives such as Voluntary Local Review, CDP and Green City Accord.
Our Secretariat faced a change as well, as Esther Kreutz-Hassinen has been appointed the new Head of Secretariat. With Esther currently being on parental leave, I am happy to announce that I have been nominated as the Acting Head of Secretariat as of 19 October 2021. Björn Grönholm had been leading our Secretariat since 2006 and significant positive transformations happened over the last 15 years under his management. Now, we look into the starting decade equipped with clear vision, common goals, accumulated experiences and brimming with inspiration.
Our member cities demonstrate strong forerunning potential in climate actions, and now it is time to increase our efforts even further mobilizing the whole network to take proactive and result-oriented approach in overcoming emerging challenges such as climate change, pandemics, pollution, biodiversity loss and overexploitation of natural resources.
In UBC SCC, our main ambition is to provide cities with opportunities, tools and methods for collaboration and exchange, and to connect them stronger within the network and beyond towards a sustainable, green and climate resilient Baltic Sea Region. We are on good way to achieve it together!
Warm Christmas greetings from SCC team!
Agnieszka Ilola
Acting Head of Secretariat
Union of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission