January 24, 2012

City of Chicago Will Host International Sustainability Roundtable in March

Fourth Meeting of the OECD Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers Will Draw Leaders From Around the World

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that Chicago will be the host city for the fourth meeting of the OECD Roundtable of Mayors and Ministers to be held March 8-9, 2012.

"The City of Chicago welcomes the upcoming collaboration between the C40, OECD, and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, as we look to develop new solutions to the most pressing sustainable infrastructure problems facing cities around the world,” said Mayor Emanuel. “During my time in office I have focused heavily on how strategic infrastructure investments can build a stronger foundation for job creation, economic growth and sustainable development, and I look forward to working with other mayors and ministers to explore new approaches to these common challenges."

The event is being co-organized by the OECD, the City of Chicago, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Metropolitan Planning Council.  Jointly president over the event will be: Mayor Emanuel; OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria; Mayor Michael Bloomberg (who is also Chairman of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group); and Secretary Shaun Donovan of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Roundtable will convene international mayors and national ministers to share best practices and identify roadblocks to mobilizing investment for urban sustainability and resiliency.

The first day of the event will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center. The second day of the event will be held at the Chicago Hilton.

On March 9, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and OECD will jointly release the OECD Territorial Review of the Chicago Tri-State Metropolitan Area, which focuses on the region’s economic capacity and provides a road map for achieving long-term, sustainable growth within the Tri-State region fueled by the area's assets. The review provides a framework for effective engagement between government and stakeholders to better generate and implement long-term, integrated region-wide strategies that could lead to improved economic performance and quality of life.

“City leaders understand better than anyone that the stakes are high,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We know that on our rapidly urbanizing planet, cities hold the key to unlocking the solutions to climate change.  The upcoming OECD roundtable provides an ideal opportunity for Mayors and Ministers to establish clear principles for local-national collaborations that will be communicated to Rio+20 conference in June."

The website for the event is at: http://www.oecd.org/urban/roundtable.

Ford, MacArthur, Bloomberg and the Chicagoland Chamber are partners in producing the event, along with the Metropolitan Planning Council. These organizations are handling the costs for the event.

 

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