Penn IUR Co-Director Genie Birch Moderates Panel on Sustainable Urbanization at the UN

Penn IUR Co-Director Genie Birch moderated a panel discussion at the first-ever Integration Segment on Sustainable Urbanization of the UN Economic and Social Council. The event took place from May 27-29 in New York City, and offered opportunities for ministers, mayors and other stakeholders to engage with each other on the future of cities.

Birch moderated a panel titled “How can urbanization policies promote integration of economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development?” It considered issues including short-term policy choices and policy trade-offs, as well as the longer-term gains associated with an integrated and balanced approach to sustainable urbanization.

The panel followed a keynote address by His Excellency Kadir Topbaş, Mayor of Istanbul, Turkey, and President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). Panelists included: Mr. Josep Roig, Secretary-General, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Ms. Skye Dobson, Executive Director, ACTogether Uganda, Slum Dwellers International; and Mr. David Post, Executive Manager, Global Smarter Cities, IBM.

You can watch the full video of the panel discussion here.