Asia-Pacific Urban Forum Local Government Assembly

Suwon City, Republic of Korea

Sunday, 22 October 2023 | 14:00 – 16:30
Suwon Convention Center, Room 401

Lead Organiser: Asia-Pacific Local Government Coordinating Body (APLG) through the United Cities and
Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC)

Contact Person: Liz Villegas, Policy Advocacy Specialist, UCLG ASPAC

Contact Information: liz.villegas@uclg-aspac.org

Co-organizers/Partners: C40 Cities, CityNet, CLGF, ICLEI Southeast Asia, Metropolis, UCLG Eurasia, UCLG
MEWA, IGES, UNDRR, UNESCAP, UN Habitat, and UNU-IAS

About the Local Government Assembly

2023 is a critical year as the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. Furthermore, the very goal related to urban territories, Goal 11 on sustainable cities and
communities, is under regional and global review. These are all within the context of the climate crisis,
cascading natural hazards, and COVID-19 pandemic recovery.

Local governments are vital urban actors and essential to the achievement of global agreements. The
COVID-19 pandemic magnified local government role as frontliners in public service delivery being the
closest level of government to the people. Recognising local governments as key players in sustainable
urbanisation, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
provided space to organise a Local Government Assembly as part of the 8 th Asia Pacific Urban Forum
(APUF) in Suwon City, South Korea.

The Local Government Assembly is organised by the Asia-Pacific Local Government Coordinating Body
(APLG). Established in 2018, the APLG is a regional coordination mechanism that aims to facilitate
advocacy for local governments in the Asia-Pacific region. APLG is coordinated and facilitated by UCLG
ASPAC.

Thematic Focus

Following the Local Government Assembly held as a pre-forum event of APUF-7 last 14 October 2019 in
Penang, Malaysia, APLG will convene its members and partners, and all mayors and representatives of
local governments to assess their progress on the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development in line with
the APUF-8 focus on crisis resilience.

Key Words

#LocalGov, #Listen2Cities, #APUF8, #LGAssembly, #APLG

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Objectives and Expected Outcomes

1. Take stock of the key outcomes of regional and global events that are relevant to local
governments.
2. Consolidate the relevant issues and interventions taken by local governments on the focal areas
of APUF-8.
3. Agree on the joint statement of local governments to APUF-8 that will be presented in plenary.

Target Participants

All mayors, governors and representatives of cities and local governments participating at the APUF-8
are expected to come.

The Asia-Pacific Local Government Coordinating Body (APLG) is required to mobilise its members and
representatives to join the Local Government Assembly. This includes the following institutions: C40
Cities, CityNet, Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), ICLEI Local Governments for
Sustainability Southeast Asia, UCLG ASPAC, UCLG MEWA, UCLG Eurasia, Metropolis, Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), UNESCAP,
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and United Nations University – Institute
for Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS).

Format/Method

Governors and Mayors are welcome to provide their intervention in any of the thematic area
discussions. Initial discussants will be identified for each focal area of APUF-8. A maximum of 25 minutes
will be allocated for each round of discussion.

Tentative Agenda

Time Agenda Item Proposed Recommendation/s for LRG

Statement
14:00-14:10 Welcome Message
Mr. Ashok Kumar Byanju Shrestha, Mayor
of Dhulikhel Municipality and President of
UCLG ASPAC
Mr. Tae-young Yeom, Vice Governor for
Economy, Gyeonggi Provincial Government
14:10-14:20 Context Setting: Key Outcomes of Regional
and Global Events Relevant to Local
Governments (APFSD 2023, 2nd UN-Habitat
Assembly, HLPF, 2023 SDG Summit, Mid-
Term Review of Sendai Framework),
Theme and Focal Areas of APUF-8.

Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive

Secretary of UNESCAP
14:20-14:45 Discussion: Urban Finance 1. Maximise own source revenues and
What forms of financing for SDGs are explore creative and innovative
accessible and should be provided to local financing modalities to fund local

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 Time Agenda Item Proposed Recommendation/s for LRG
Statement
governments in Asia-Pacific? development actions. We call on
national governments and financial
Dr. Emil Elestianto Dardak, Vice Governor institutions to provide the capacity-
of East Java building and transparent systems that
will ensure the bankability of local
Intervention: development projects and guarantee
 Makati City local government access to finance.
14:45-15:10 Discussion: Urban and Territorial Planning 1. Accelerate the implementation of the
What local policies can ensure people- global agendas at the local level,
centered and participatory development in including the 2030 Agenda for
Asia-Pacific cities/regions? Sustainable Development, the New
Urban Agenda, Paris Agreement on
H.E. Mr. Bambang Susantono, Chairman of Climate Change, and the Sendai
the Nusantara Capital Authority (TBC) Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Mr. Kirk Asis, Mayor of Bayugan (TBC) We urge national governments, UN
bodies, and international organisations
Intervention: to provide a good enabling
1. Medan City environment in the form of effective
2. Institute for Global Environmental regulations, financial access, and
Strategies (IGES) capacity enhancement that will
3. International Organization for strengthen local governments and
Migration (IOM) enrich their engagement in national,
regional, and international
development and review processes. We
underscore the need for ambitious
targets, local indicators, and access to
data to monitor and review
contributions towards national and
global targets.
2. Employ planning and policy frameworks
that promote participatory governance
and citizen engagement in local
development such as the rights-based
approach, and gender-responsive
planning and participatory budgeting.
We recognise the value of planning and
policy making that involves all sectors
of society and the meaningful
participation of the youth, vulnerable,
and marginalised groups in creating
inclusive societies. The Voluntary
Subnational Review and Voluntary Local
Review provide opportunities for
strengthened community engagement
and local ownership of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).

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 Time Agenda Item Proposed Recommendation/s for LRG
Statement
3. Ensure access to water and citywide
inclusive sanitation as part of local
public service delivery in partnership
with the private sector. This
necessitates the development and
implementation of the regulatory and
financing framework, and zero-waste
initiatives for safe water and sanitation
for all.
15:10-15:35 Discussion: Urban Climate Action 1. Develop local climate action plans and
What actions are being undertaken by disaster risk reduction plans that are
cities to address disaster risk reduction and aligned with the ambition and goals of
the climate crisis? the Paris Agreement and Sendai
Framework, and accounts for national
Mr. Ritesh Singh, Chairman/Lord Mayor of contexts. It is essential to improve local
Suva City Council
government access to disaster risk and
Mr. Hendri Septa, Mayor of Padang City
climate financing and ensure that
Mr. Pawin Na Pattalung, Deputy Mayor of
Nakhon Si Thammarat climate financing considers social issues
to promote gender equity and to
Intervention: support equitable climate solutions.
 Shah Alam City Furthermore, there is urgency in
 UCLG ASPAC designing a flexible operational
 C40 Cities mechanism of the loss and damage
fund to allow increased access by
vulnerable countries, cities, and
communities.
2. Conduct local stocktake. We stress the
need for multi-level climate governance
through the localisation of Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs).
3. Utilise people-centred smart
technologies, such as community-based
early warning systems and digital twins,
as part of local disaster preparedness,
response, and recovery efforts.
Identified in close partnership with the
communities, these technologies shall
be responsive to local context and
needs.
15:35-16:00 Discussion: Inclusive Urban Digitalisation 1. Enable access to local government
How are cities initiating/leading services, such as healthcare and
digitalisation and innovation in Asia- business transactions, through digital
Pacific? platforms. This requires a robust
system that ensures cybersecurity and

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 Time Agenda Item Proposed Recommendation/s for LRG
Statement
Mr. Lei Wang, Mayor of Suifenhe data privacy. We urge national
Municipal People’s Government (TBC) governments to develop the policy
framework and critical infrastructure to
Intervention: allow interoperability across all levels of
 CityNet government.
2. Provide community-level digital literacy
education to help reduce the digital
divide across different age, income, and
social groups. We recognise that people
have different needs and skills, and
uphold their digital rights.
16:00-16:25 Finalising the Local Government
Statement
16:25-16:30 Closing Message
Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi,
Secretary General of UCLG ASPAC

Asia-Pacific Local Government Coordinating Body

Coordinator:

Members:

Partners: