Cities Alliance Annual Report 2018

JOINT WORK PROGRAMMES
Joint Work Programmes are multi-year programmes driven by Cities Alliance
members and facilitated and managed by the Secretariat. They are a coordination
platform, knowledge hub, and think tank to advocate new thinking on key urban
issues. They also analyse and disseminate key lessons from Cities Alliance’s
operational activities. In some cases, Joint Work Programmes may develop city pilot
projects to support pioneering or mainstreaming their thematic approaches within
country operations.
In 2018 the Cities Alliance had four active JWPs: Cities in the Global Agendas,
Promoting Equitable Economic Growth in Cities, Resilient Cities, and Migration
and Cities.
Cities in the Global Agendas
In its second and final year of implementation, the Cities Alliance Joint Work
Programme on Cities in the Global Agendas continues to embody the partnership’s
clear commitment to the global agendas and their implementation in cities.
The JWP raises the flag for inclusive urban development and helps members
learn from each other. It taps into new spaces (such as the High-Level Political
Forum, which tracks the SDGs for the United Nations) and reaches out to new
partners. Throughout, it aims to sustain the momentum for directly influencing
the partnership’s advocacy campaigns and messages.
The JWP engages in four areas: 1) Follow-up and review (FuR) of the New Urban
Agenda and the 2030 Agenda; 2) Promoting national urban policies; 3) Integrating
the global agendas for a coherent localisation; and 4) Advocacy and awarenessbuilding
around the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
KNOWLEDGE TO HELP CITIES NAVIGATE THE GLOBAL AGENDAS
In 2018, the JWP focused on producing and disseminating knowledge. A suite
of knowledge products undertaken with IIED assessed and unpacked six of the
major global agendas and what they mean for cities. Others addressed the
Follow-up and Review process for the agendas and the important role cities
and local governments play in it.
To draw and maintain attention to this knowledge, the JWP made effective use of
major global events. For example, the report Local and Regional Governments in the
Follow-Up and Review of Global Sustainability Agendas was launched at the ninth
World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In addition, Cities Alliance invited
the winners of a best practice competition addressing the Follow-up and Review
process to showcase their projects at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable
Development in July.
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