On October 18, the Co-Leads of the Habitat III Policy Unit 4, LSE Cities and UCLG, hosted a three hour session consisting of two panel discussions in Quito, Ecuador. The panels discussed the implications of the New Urban Agenda for different aspects of urban governance in the context of the Habitat III conference and the policy paper developed by Policy Unit 4. The session, chaired by Emilia Saiz of UCLG, acted as an inaugural forum interpreting the high-level governance ambitions of the NUA for different contexts, spheres of governments, private and third sector organisations and actors. Philipp Rode, Executive Director of LSE Cities, presented an overview of Policy Unit 4 and its relationship to the New Urban Agenda.
The first panel included Mónica Fein, Mayor of Rosario (Argentina); Parks Tau, President of South African Local Governments Association; Ian Klaus, US Department of State; Ilmar Reepalu, Councilor of Malmö (Sweden); Dieudonne Maurice Bonanet, Minister of Urbanization and Habitat, Burkina Faso.
The second included Mercè Conesa, President of the Province of Barcelona (Spain); Denis Simonneau,Director of European and International Relations, ENGIE (previously GDF-SUEZ); Sandra Vermuyten, Head of Campaigns Public Sector International (PSI); Joanna Drake, Deputy Director General – DG Environment, European Commission; and Soledad Núñez, Minister of Housing and Habitat, Paraguay.