Dear Members, Partners and Friends of ICLEI,

We are pleased to send you the latest news on ICLEI in Europe and our partners for urban sustainability!
You can also read these news and find more information on the topics at www.iclei-europe.org

Don't hesitate to send your news and information at information.services@iclei.org

( If this newsletter does not display properly, please click here: http://www.iclei-europe.org/index.php?id=6818 )

In this issue:

1. ICLEI Member News
2. Geneva Climate Roadmap Symposium
3. ICLEI Executive Committee 2009-2012: Call for Candidacies
4. Advanced cities meet in Freiburg at the first agenda+ forum
5. Extension of Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign
6. European Green Capital Award: 35 European cities have joined the competition!
7. Mayor of ICLEI Member City Cape Town wins the 2008 World Mayor Award
8. Procura+ Seminar and Participants Meeting
9. EU-Asia Solid Waste Management Conference
10. New Nottingham Declaration Website
11. ICLEI at "Europe's rural areas in action" Conference
12. News from Biofuel Cities European Partnership
13. EU deal on the promotion of clean road transport 
14. 6 October was World Habitat Day 2008  
15. Latest edition of Sustainable Procurement UPDATE now online!
16. Climate Protection Municipality 2009: competition for small communities in Germany
17. New events
18. Event reminders

1. ICLEI Member News

Ludwigsburg wins German national award for local sustainability "Zeitzeichen"

ICLEI Member City of Ludwigsburg (Germany) has been selected for the German "Zeitzeichen" award, the national award for local sustainability. The award ceremony took place on the occasion of the German national Network 21 Congress on Local Agenda 21 in Leipzig.

Ludwigsburg received the award for their success in introducing an integrated, cyclical management system for sustainable development, in the framework of the EU project 'Managing Urban Europe' and in close co-operation with the sustainability management and urban governance teams at ICLEI's European Secretariat.

For more information, click here [in German].

2. Local governments associations and networks meet at the Geneva Climate Roadmap Symposium

In an unprecedented display of unity of purpose, local government associations and networks met on 12-14 October to co-ordinate action concerning the post-2012 climate agreement in Geneva (Switzerland).

Never before so many globally and regionally or nationally acting associations and networks of local governments (LGs) have met to coordinate their future climate strategies, especially towards the Conference of the Parties (COP) 2008 in Poznan (COP 14) and 2009 in Copenhagen (COP 15), as part of the Local Government Climate Roadmap.

The meeting saw general agreement on the key role of local governments in mitigating climate change and facilitating adaptation to the unavoidable effects of such change. The local government associations and networks will work jointly towards a set of statements that shall be presented to COP14, advocated for during the year 2009 and hopefully consolidated at COP 15 in Copenhagen.

For more information about the Local Government Climate Roadmap,
please visit www.iclei.org/climate-roadmap.

3. ICLEI Executive Committee 2009-2012: Call for Candidacies

ICLEI is pleased to announce the Call for Candidacy for the 2009 – 2012 ICLEI Executive Committee. The Committee represents ICLEI's Member municipalities and associations of local governments from around the world.

The seventh Executive Committee will be elected by ICLEI´s Members in the first months of 2009.

To be listed as a candidate for election to the ICLEI Executive Committee 2009-2012, please complete the forms contained in Sections II-IV of the Candidacy Papers and return them to ICLEI´s Secretary General either by fax, mail or email by 20 December 2008.

For more information and to download Candidacy Papers, visit www.iclei.org.

4. Advanced cities meet in Freiburg (Germany) at the first agenda+ forum

European cities participating in the newly launched ICLEI network, agenda+, met for the first time at the agenda+ forum held from 6 - 8 October 2008 in Freiburg (Germany).

"Advanced cities are serving others as good practice examples, however they are facing their own, unique challenges", said Stefan Kuhn, director for urban governance at ICLEI's European Secretariat, and initiator of the agenda+ network.

In order to identify these challenges on their way towards a sustainable city, and to find possible responses together, a very open and informal discussion atmosphere dominated the agenda+ forum.

For more information, visit www.iclei-europe.org/agendaplus.

5. Extension of Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign

The first Campaign period of the “Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign” (SEEC 2005-2008) came to an end on 30 September 2008.

The European Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign has actively supported the SEEC as a partner, with ICLEI Europe as an Associate Member.

Due to its great success, the SEEC will be extended until 2011, with even more ambitious targets and various networking opportunities.

For more information on SEEC, visit www.sustenergy.org
and for information on the European CCP Campaign,
take a look at www.iclei-europe.org/ccp.

6. European Green Capital Award: 35 European cities have joined the competition!

Since the European Commission launched the European Green Capital Award in May 2008, 35 European cities from 17 countries have sent their applications and joined the race for the prestigious title of European Green Capital 2010 and 2011.

This high level of participation bears witness to the deep commitment of European cities to improve the quality of life of urban citizens. "Local authorities play an essential role in improving the urban environment, and the European Green Capital Award was conceived to support and promote their efforts", says Pia Bucella, Director of Communication in DG Environment, European Commission.

October 1st marked the deadline for submission of applications. These will now be considered by an evaluation panel composed of international experts. Their recommendations will be presented to a jury for the final decision, which, among others, includes ICLEI Regional Director for Europe, Gino Van Begin. The announcement of the first two European Green Capitals for 2010 and 2011 will take place at a ceremony planned for early 2009.

For a list of applicant cities, click here or visit the European Green Capital website.

7. Mayor of ICLEI Member City Cape Town (South Africa) wins the 2008 World Mayor Award

The Executive Mayor of Cape Town (South Africa) Helen Zille has been awarded the 2008 World Mayor Prize by local government think-tank, City Mayors.

"It is a great honour to have been awarded the World Mayor award, and it is a great incentive for us to keep working to build democracy in South Africa with opportunities for all", Mayor Zille said. Cape Town is an ICLEI Member, the host city for the ICLEI Africa Secretariat, and also home to the international ICLEI Local Action for Biodiversity Programme (LAB).

Second place was awarded to Elmar Ledergerber, Mayor of ICLEI Member City Zurich (Switzerland), who also received the 2008 World Mayor Commendation. Other ICLEI Member Cities' mayors appear among the top 11 mayors of the competition.

The international World Mayor project was launched by the urban affairs think-tank City Mayors in January 2004. It aims to raise the profile of mayors worldwide by honouring those who have served their communities well and have made significant contributions to cities nationally and internationally.

For more information, visit www.worldmayor.com.

8. Procura+ Seminar and Participants Meeting, 6 - 7 November 2008, Birmingham (United Kingdom)

As part of the Procura+ Campaign, Birmingham City Council, in partnership with ICLEI, are organising the next Procura+ Seminar and Participants Meeting. Cities engaging with suppliers to purchase highly innovative energy-efficient products are the main focus of this year's European event, taking place in Birmingham (United Kingdom) on the 6-7 November 2008.

Interested in reducing your city's energy and CO2 emission bill? The Procura+ Seminar will bring together purchasers and representatives from all levels of governments, companies (suppliers and manufacturers), Procura+ Participants and European institutions to exchange, present and learn about opportunities for early market engagement between public authority procurers and suppliers in the pre-procurement phase. A selection of innovative product solutions, that are yet to be made widely available on the market, will also be presented and their potential for market penetration explored.

To participate in the Seminar or for more information on the event, visit www.procuraplus.org
or contact Amalia Ochoa at amalia.ochoa@iclei.org.
The latest version of the programme can be downloaded here.

9. EU-Asia Solid Waste Management Conference, 28 - 30 October, Perak (Malaysia)

The EU-Asia Solid Waste Management Conference took place on 28-30 October, at Ipoh Perak (Malaysia).

The conference, promoted also by ICLEI, represented a major event in the management of solid waste and was a unique opportunity for all actors and stakeholders involved in waste management in Asia and Europe to exchange information on the application of environmental policies, technologies, and practices.

For more information, visit www.ea-swmc.org.

10. New Nottingham Declaration Website

The Nottingham Declaration Partnership has launched a new website, addressed to all local authorities that are acting on climate change. It represents a portal to all available advice and support for local authority services on both adaptation and mitigation.

Launched in October 2000, with the support of ICLEI, the Nottingham Declaration recognises the central role of local authorities in leading society's response to the challenge of climate change. By signing the Declaration councils pledge to systematically address the causes of climate change and to prepare their community for its impacts.

For more information, visit www.nottinghamdeclaration.org.uk.

11. ICLEI at "Europe's rural areas in action" Conference, 16-17 October, Limassol (Cyprus)

"Europe's rural areas in action: Facing the challenges of tomorrow" was the title of the conference organised by the Directorate General for Agriculture, which took place on 16-17 October in Limassol (Cyprus).

The purpose of the conference, which saw, among others, the participation of ICLEI, was to take stock of the current policy and try to identify whether it is adequately addressing the present and future challenges facing rural areas in Europe.

In his presentation, Stefan Kuhn, Director for Urban Governance at ICLEI's European Secretariat, highlighted the missing link between urban and rural development policies at EU level. "We have to listen to and learn from each other in order to create governance structures that facilitate the integration of urban and rural development in Europe", he said.

For more information on the conference, click here.

12. News from Biofuel Cities European Partnership

Again, the Biofuel Cities European Partnership has had a busy couple of months.

The website saw some activity with the recent lauch of the new "Interact" section. This is a space where people can share their views and opinions in the forum, find information on workshops, study tours, and learn more about other Biofuels Cities participants, twinning activities and even policy measures for local implementation of clean fuel policies.

In October, two important events took place: namely, the final workshop for European biofuels end-users in Warsaw (Poland) and the final Biofuel Cities End-user Study Tour in Tübingen (Germany). The high level of participation and involvement in both the events clearly demonstrates the interest of end-users, many of whom are local governments, in learning more about this topic.  

The workshop, organised in the framework of the Partnership for Climate Initiative, had a strong focus on topics such as climate change mitigation (in particular waste-to-energy solutions), land use change and biodiversity, as well as food security. The study tour represented a good opportunity for exploring the regional production and use of biodiesel in the State of Baden-Württemberg (South-West Germany).   

For more information on the activities of the Biofuel Cities European Partnership, visit www.biofuel-cities.eu.

13. EU deal on the promotion of clean road transport

On 22 October, the European Parliament endorsed a Commission proposal to make public authorities use "green" criteria, including energy consumption and CO2 and pollutant emissions, when procuring vehicles for public transport fleets. The directive would make the public sector in Europe an example for a future sustainable transport system.

ICLEI has a long history and much experience in the promotion of Green Public Procurement (GPP). In the field of sustainable transport, ICLEI has developed a GPP Toolkit for the European Commission, which establishes green criteria for transport.

For more information on ICLEI activities on GPP, visit our Sustainable Procurement section.
To read more about the EU directive, click here.

14. 6 October was World Habitat Day 2008

The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October each year as World Habitat Day. The idea is to reflect on the state of towns and cities and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

Harmonious Cities is the theme for 2008 chosen by the United Nations to raise awareness about the problems of rapid urbanisation and its impact on the environment. It will also be the focus of the World Urban Forum in Nanjing (China) from 3 - 7 November.

For more information, visit the UN-HABITAT website,
or read the UN Secretary-General´s message here.

15. Latest edition of Sustainable Procurement UPDATE now online!

The latest Sustainable Procurement UPDATE – October 2008, now at its 40th edition, is available for download here.

The quarterly keeps you updated on the European Sustainable Procurement Campaign, Procura+, and ICLEI’s Sustainable Procurement activities in Europe.

To read the latest quarterly, click here.

16. Climate Protection Municipality 2009: competition for small communities in Germany

The Deutsche Umwelthilfe has launched a national competition for small German cities of 20.000 inhabitants or less.

Participating municipalities will have the opportunity to report on their activities in the field of climate protection. The competition also aims to provide encouragement for successful implementation of climate protection measures.

The winner will be awarded the title of "Climate Protection Municipality 2009" during an award ceremony which will take place in April 2009. The event will also represent an opportunity to present exemplary climate protection projects.Interested cities are encouraged to send their applications by 31 December 2008.

For more information, visit www.klimaschutzkommune.de [in German].

17. New events

Course on Local Sustainability, 2-9 November 2008, Venice (Italy)

ICLEI, in partnership with Venice International University (VIU), is organising a course on Local Sustainability, taking place on 2- 9 November at the Venice International University, on the island of San Servolo in Venice (Italy).

The course aims at assisting local communities, national institutions, stakeholder groups and businesses in beneficiary countries in the areas of sustainable planning, sustainable management and sustainable investments recommended for reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

The lecturers will be high-level experts coming from research-intensive backgrounds, as well as from ICLEI. Practical case studies on urban planning, energy and climate, enforcement and assessments will be presented by experts in the respective fields.

For more information, visit www.localsustainableaction.org.

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European Policy Summit on Water, 5 November, Brussels (Belgium)

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The European Policy Summit on Water, co-organised by Friends of Europe and the European Water Partnership (EWP), will be held on 5 November in Brussels (Belgium). It will include the participation of EU Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas.

Titled "Saving Europe´s water – Its place in the EU Green Strategy", this high-level event will be the main European Summit in preparation of the upcoming fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul, and will provide concrete input into the European Regional Process towards the Forum.

The Summit aims at bringing together international institutions, national and local governments, industries, NGOs and other stakeholders from the water sector in Europe and beyond. Focus of the discussion will be: Climate Change and Adaptation; Finance; Water Scarcity and Droughts.

For more information, visit www.ewp.eu. To register to the Summit, click here.

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International Conference on "Climate Change as a Security Threat - Strategies for Policy-Makers, Science and Business", 6 – 7 November, Freiburg (Germany)

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ICLEI member and host city Freiburg (Germany) is organising an international conference on "Climate Change as a Security Threat - Strategies for Policy-Makers, Science and Business", taking place on 6-7 November in the Freiburg Concert Hall.

The conference is organised by the Federal Foreign Office, in co-operation with the City of Freiburg and supported by Adelphi Research. The event will focus on potential conflict constellations caused by climate change and the impacts these conflicts may have on peace and security. Among a wide number of high-level personalities, the Lord Mayor of Kolding and Member of the ICLEI Executive Committee Per Bødker Andersen will take part in the conference as a speaker.

To complete the programme, an Exhibition titled "Environment, Conflict and Cooperation" will accompany the conference. ICLEI will be present with a stand to offer information on ICLEI work and activities. Come and meet us there!

For more information, visit www.freiburg-konferenz.de/home_en.
To register to the conference, click here.

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European Local Government Climate Roadmap Forum, 10 February 2009, Brussels (Belgium)

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The European Local Government Climate Roadmap Forum "From Bali to Poznan to Copenhagen", organised by ICLEI, is taking place on 10 February 2009 in Brussels (Belgium). The event is part of the third edition of the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), which will last from 9 - 13 February 2009.

The aim of the European Local Government Climate Roadmap Forum is to present developments in the Local Government Climate Roadmap process, to discuss the key issues that European Local Governments want to include for consideration, and explore the links to Covenant of Mayors and specific other support frameworks for motivation and implementation action.

For more information, visit www.eusew.eu.

18. Event reminders

Procura+ Seminar
Smarter engagement with the market in the pre-procurement phase
6 November 2008, Birmingham (United Kingdom)

International Conference on
"Organic Waste in Urban Environments -  New European Challenges"
20 - 21 November 2008, Brussels (Belgium)

2nd International Conference on Sustainable Tourism
Sustainability, Competitiveness and Identity in Tourism Destinations
27 - 29 November 2008, Rimini Riviera (Italy)

The ICLEI in Europe newsletter is produced by the European Secretariat of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability. Copies are available on request. Editors: Stefan Kuhn (responsible), Ciara Leonard, Gloria Spezzano.

Comments and questions are welcome - please write to Gloria Spezzano at information.services@iclei.org, Leopoldring 3, 79098 Freiburg, Germany,Tel: +49-761/36 89 2-0, www.iclei-europe.org

ICLEI is a membership organisation of local governments and their associations. To date more than 800 municipalities and municipal associations of all sizes from around the world have made a unique commitment to sustainable development by joining ICLEI. They support the work of ICLEI through their membership fees as well as through their experience and creativity in the development and implementation of projects and campaigns to address the globe's biggest problems. Within the organisation they are part of a network of peers that can profit from each other's knowledge. For membership information please have a look at our website or contact: membership.services@iclei.org

Copyright 2008 ICLEI European Secretariat GmbH, Freiburg, Germany. All rights reserved.