Leaders Summit

Leaders’ Summit: “Financing Sustainable Growth”

In 2009 “New Mobility Patterns for the 21^st Century” was the Global City Leaders’ summit focus. Transportation and mobility will remain one of the most pressing issues for cities all over the world.

However, the unpredictable international economic crisis which nations have gone through, and the increase of the public debt, brought to light that financing levers will be crucial to ensure sustained cities’ development.

Public and private partnerships therefore take their full dimension in this new financing framework, requiring a high level of expertise and important financial support from the private sector.

From environment and infrastructure to social cohesion, political leaders have strengthened their collaboration with the private urban service providers. Finding the most appropriate governance model to help pilot and enhance global projects together with the assurance of high quality public service delivery, are clearly today’s challenges.

Major investments, such as infrastructure, will require both national and local public cooperation and a strong commitment and involvement from private funds. What should be the boundaries to the role endorsed by private corporations? How and under which conditions?

New financing models and new actors have appeared over the last two years and in this new financial environment, creativity and innovation have proved to be the driving force.

Traditional financing has been completed by the creation of investment funds. There is no doubt that sovereign, ethical and Islamic funds will play an important role in this new landscape; that emerging economies will also hold a central position and that micro credit will deserve attention.

Therefore, it seemed natural for the 2011 Leaders Summit to focus on “Financing Sustainable Growth”. Successfully implemented and promising solutions will be discussed.

3 main sub-themes will be approached: Financing Utilities, Financing Infrastructure & New Models of Financing with 9 round tables which will benefit from the strong expertise of specialized moderators.

LEADERS’ SUMMIT

"Financing Sustainable Growth"

In association with

15 March 2011 (by invitation only)

Co-organized with EUROCITIES, with the participation of ICLEI, the Forum for Urban Management and OECD

13:00 - Leaders' Lunch – by invitation only

14:00 - Welcome Speech and Presentation of the challenges and general theme of the Global City Leaders’ Summit by Paul Bevan, General Secretary of EUROCITIES & Greg Clark, Global Advisor on the Development and Investment of Cities and Regions (UK)

Opening address

Mohamed Rashed Al Hameli, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI) and Senior Economic Advisor for the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED)

Keynote Address

Dr. Colin Harrison, Director and Distinguished Engineer, Enterprise Initiatives, IBM

14:15 Round Tables’ launch (1 theme per workshop)

Financing utilities

Roundtable N°1 Financing waste, co-organized with CCRE,
Moderator: Frédéric Vallier, Secretary General, Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Belgium
Roundtable N°2 Enhancing better governance for sustainable water financing , co-organized with OECD
Moderator: Aziza Akhmouch, Policy Analyst – Water Expert, OECD - Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate, France
Roundtable N°3 Financing Energy, co-organized with GDF SUEZ
Moderator: Stéphane Queré, Senior Vice President of Sustainable Urban Management, GDF SUEZ (France)

Financing infrastructure

Roundtable N°4 Social Infrastructure as part of sustainable growth in cities, co-organized with ICLEI
Moderator: Gino Van Begin, Deputy Secretary General, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, Germany
Roundtable N°5 Transport in the City, co-organized with EUROCITIES
Moderator: Paul Bevan, Secretary General, EUROCITIES, Belgium
Roundtable N°6 Sub-urban mobility & accessibility, co-organized with IBM
Moderator: Dr. Colin Harrison, Director and Distinguished Engineer, Enterprise Initiatives, IBM

Financing tools

Roundtable N°7 Public Private Partnerships: Public Private Cooperation? co-organized with ISOCARP
Moderator: Ismael Fernandez Mejia, President, ISOCARP
Co-moderators: Rémi Dorval, President of the City Factory / La Fabrique de la Cité
Roundtable N°8 New and emerging financing tools; sovereign funds, ethical funds, green funds, social & socially responsible investment funds, Islamic funds, co-organized with FGV
Moderator: Olivier Regis, Managing Director, Forum for Urban Management, France
Roundtable N°9 Micro-credit, co-organized with PlaNet Finance
Moderator: Arnaud Ventura, Vice-President, PlaNet Finance, France