Dear most valuable UBC colleagues,
Time flies and we are approaching Christmas and the end of the year! Let´s have a look-back:
The year 2015 has been interesting, sometimes challenging but also really rewarding! We have, together with our member cities been planning our focus areas and activities for the upcoming years.
As a result we managed to develop and finalize the UBC Sustainability Action Programme 2016 – 2021, the main steering document for our activities. The document was adopted at the UBC General Conference in Gdynia on the 29 October 2016.
At the same occasion it was decided that our Commissions secretariat will be hosted by the City of Turku for the period 2016 – 2021. As a part of the renewal of the UBC Commission work we also have a new Advisory Board for our commission, whose work has started well and we are ready to proceed to the next level of activities in the coming year.
2015 was a busy year in terms of project development and applications. As a result we have been granted several new projects focusing on storm water management, developments of brownfield areas and integrated waste water management, all topics that are central elements of our new UBC Sustainability Action Programme 2016 – 2021.
Also global developments and decisions are encouraging when it comes to our activities! The UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as the new Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with the strong signal of transition into smart and sustainable societies give us a solid framework for activities and implementation. Never before we have received such ambitious common transformation goals!
Furthermore, I have a strong and positive feeling among many engaged UBC member cities, such as Jelgava, Gdansk, Malmö, Lahti, Karlstad, Riga, Panevezys and Rakvere etc. where real ambitious work is going on. Through cooperation and synergies in different ways UBC SCC is happy to improve and strengthen this work. In the near future we will work with project concepts on urban mobility, resource efficiency, circular economy and urban transition management, contact us, if you are interested!
I also want to highlight our staff at the UBC Sustainable Cities Commission secretariat: We have a fantastic team, a good mix of committed experienced and new colleagues, eager to work with you!
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Successful New Year 2016 from the UBC Sustainable Cities Commission!
Björn Grönholm