The expert consultation will take place in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) on 29 February-1 March 2016. The meeting is organized by UNCDF in collaboration with the Financing for Development Office, UN-DESA and the Government of Tanzania.

The Africa expert consultation is the first in a series of regional consultations, focusing in particular on Least Developed Countries, which will result in a publication that summarizes major findings of the consultations and provides some general guidelines for more effective international cooperation on municipal finance taking different local contexts into consideration.

The meeting will bring together a unique set of practitioners, local government representatives, academics, policymakers, the private sector, as well as UN and other development partners in an interactive format to discuss how to enhance financial resources and investments at the subnational level in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. The expert consultation will promote knowledge sharing among stakeholders in local sustainable development and subnational finance, and the exchange of lessons on how municipal governments can overcome constraints to access long-term finance.

Thursday, December 10, 2015, 9-11am Washington-time

The event will stream live through this LINK.

You can also connect via phone: +1 650 479-3207, with access code 730 929 430

Or you can attend the event in person at the World Bank by registering at this LINK.

I am working to develop and implement tools that integrate climate change and disaster resilience into municipal decisions, infrastructure planning in particular.  One of the challenges I see is the variation in data availability and integration of projected impacts into planning decisions (e.g. flooding, urban heat island, drought, etc.).  Before any implementation measures can be developed, the data challenge must be addressed.  Data needs must balance an evaluation of the resolution needed for planning decisions and readily available local biophysical and urban characteristics (topography, rain gage data, vegetation, population projections, building footprint, etc.) These data are as important as the availability of regionally-specific climate change impact projection (sea level rise, temperature, precipitation, etc.). 

There are potential solutions to these challenges, but it seems that they must be tailored based on context.  I would like to discuss with any of you interested in this topic or who may have ideas or questions.   I would like to work towards development of approaches that allow for implementation anywhere.