Promoting Low-Carbon Urban Green Growth in Asia and the Pacific

In Asia and the Pacific Region, where urbanisation is occurring at an unprecedented speed, cities are faced with tremendous opportunities for growth but also challenges. As an example, Malaysia is facing a rapid rate of urbanization, but this is also coupled with degradation of environmental quality, an inefficient urban transportation system, high living costs, and a decline in quality of living for urban dwellers. Urban green growth is a policy approach which aims to foster economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and ecosystem services on which our wellbeing relies. Low-carbon urban green growth has been increasingly recognised as a key urban development framework to support both urban and economic growth, but also sustainable urban development. This high-level side event, hosted by Tan Sri Noh Omar, Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government of Malaysia, convenes policy makers and government representatives to demonstrate how low-carbon urban green growth can be a key transformative policy approach in the context of the New Urban Agenda, and to discuss effective strategies to promote low-carbon urban green growth in Asia and the Pacific Region. The OECD and UN-ESCAP, who strongly support the agenda in the Asia and Pacific region, are co-organising the event. Key questions to be addressed in the side event include: - How can low-carbon urban green growth promote the implementation of the New Urban Agenda? - What are most pressing challenges for promoting actions for lowcarbon urban green growth in Asia and the Pacific Region? - What are effective strategies that enable local governments to foster low-carbon urban green growth? - How can local governments increase their finance capacity to be able to implement actions for low-carbon urban green growth? - What is the role of international communities in supporting member states in fostering low-carbon urban green growth, as a key transformative action of the New Urban Agenda?