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Sustainable Cities and Communities
Regional cooperation for digital innovation and sustainable development
Regional cooperation can leverage the link between digital innovation and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
Building an enabling environment
To create an environment that nurtures digital innovation and supports sustainable development proactive measures and collaborative support from diverse stakeholders are essential.
Acknowledgements
The report was prepared by an interdivisional task team under the overall direction and guidance of Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
Executive summary
This report was prepared by United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the UNESCO Chair on Urban Resilience at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU.Resilience). It offers a global analysis of the urban content of 193 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) before the 19th of June 2022.
Urban Climate Action: The Urban Content of the NDCs - Global Review 2022
This report was prepared by United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the UNESCO Chair on Urban Resilience at the University of Southern Denmark. It offers a global analysis of the urban content of 193 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) before the 19th of June 2022. For this report more than 200 indicators were used to analyse external data (e.g. Human Development Index and income categorisation) and data within the NDCs including climate mitigation and adaptation challenges and responses as well as specific sectors.
Urban content of NDCs at the global level
For this review 193 NDCs were analysed (see Annex 2) including the latest version of all updated NDCs submitted before 19th June 2022 which are publicly available in the UNFCCC online depository.
Seizing the Opportunity: Digital Innovation for a Sustainable Future
In an era of rapid digital transformation Asia and the Pacific is uniquely placed to leverage digital technologies to overcome sustainable development challenges. Already the region is recognized as a dynamic hub for digitally driven innovation fueled by pioneering technologies such as Artificial Intelligence Digital Finance GovTech and the Internet of Things. Yet to encourage further ingenuity and tap digital innovation to bolster the huge collective effort required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals the region needs a plan. To help shape a coherent inclusive approach this report examines existing digital innovations which have accelerated progress towards sustainable development and explores ways to build on their successes. It proposes a framework to understand the interlinkages between digital innovation and sustainable development investigates current and emerging practices explores how an enabling environment might be created and provides recommendations for regional cooperation. To achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a deliberate strategic push is required. This report aims to inform this effort which ESCAP stands ready to support every step of the way.
Digital innovation: Case studies for the future
This chapter will illustrate how digital innovation can promote inclusive and sustainable development across Asia and the Pacific.
Foreword
Asia and the Pacific is at the forefront of a global digital transformation. Innovations in cognitive digital technologies digital finance government technology and the Internet of things are reshaping the way we do business deliver public services and protect people and our planet. Intelligently deployed and properly governed digital innovations could turbocharge sustainable development efforts. They could enable the extraordinary collective push that is required to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at a time when progress is alarmingly slow. Yet for this to happen common understanding and shared approaches are needed across the region.
Digital innovation landscape in Asia and the Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly becoming a hub for digitally-driven innovation supported by increasing numbers of cutting-edge digital technologies.
Foreword
Our planet has already warmed by around 1.2 degrees. The battle to reach net zero by mid-century to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change will be won or lost this decade. In 2022 we have already seen devastating effects of climate change ranging from oppressive heat waves across Europe and America to floods in South Africa and Pakistan and severe drought in Brazil and China.
Introduction
This report was prepared by United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the UNESCO Chair on Urban Resilience at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU.Resilience). It offers a global analysis of the urban content of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) before the 19th of June 2022.
Approach and methodology
This analysis is based on the revision of all the latest NDCs submitted to the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) before 19th June 2022. In accordance with Article 4 paragraph 12 of the Paris Agreement NDCs communicated by Parties shall be recorded in a public online registry maintained by the Secretariat.