Thursday 20 July 2017

WCCD Announces the Launch of Local Data Hubs Around the World at the United Nations

Location of the first WCCD Local Data Hubs to be hosted in WCCD, ISO 37120 certified cities throughout the world. 
On Monday, July 17th, the WCCD was in New York at the United Nations, participating in Local2030 – Hubs for Sustainability Solutions. At this event, organised by the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General, the WCCD announced the establishment of eight, “Local Data Hubs” around the world to harness standardised, globally comparable, city data as essential to tackling global, national and local agendas.

The first WCCD Local Data Hubs include Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cambridge, Canada; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Haiphong, Vietnam; Johannesburg, South Africa; Los Angeles, California; Makati, Philippines and Minna, Nigeria. Representatives from both Buenos Aires and Cambridge were present at the United Nations in New York to announce the formation of Hubs in their respective cities.
Gary Dyke - Chief Administrative Officer, City of Cambridge, Canada (Centre) announces the establishment of the WCCD-Cambridge Local 2030 Data Hub, together with Carlos Colombo (Left) (Buenos Aires), and Stefan Schweinfest (Right), Director of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
Carlos Colombo, Undersecretary of Planning for the City of Buenos Aires signs the MOU towards establishing the WCCD-Buenos Aires Local Data Hub with the WCCD President & CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney 
These Local Data Hubs will focus on real action and results through four critical objectives:

Showcasing Leadership. The Local Data Hubs will provide a platform to grow the network of data driven cities in the country and region.

Demonstrating Results. Through annual reporting of WCCD ISO 37120 Certified Data, the Local Data Hubs will directly demonstrate year over year progress towards local, national and global goals

Catalysing Action. The Local Data Hubs will use data to inform infrastructure investment, planning and decision making and track impacts over time.

Enabling City-to-City Learning. The Local Data Hubs will support city-to-city learning and ‘solutions transfer’ across metropolitan areas, countries and globally

According to Dr. Patricia McCarney, WCCD CEO and Director of the Global Cities Institute at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto: “At the WCCD, we firmly believe that the time has come to harness standardized, independently verified, local level data to help drive transformational change on key global agreements, while also working with our dedicated network of cities globally to drive local change. The incredible commitment of the WCCD cities that have stepped up to host these hubs will allow for cities, states and provinces, and national governments to gather the kind of data required to move the needle on key issues such as climate change, while also serving to drive infrastructure investment.

The announcement of the Local Data Hubs followed the release of a major report: “WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” at the United Nations on July 17th, demonstrating that cities around the world are the true determiners of a sustainable future for the planet. Framed by the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the report is a comprehensive overview of the first 50 cities already armed with globally standardised data and certified by the WCCD under ISO 37120. Through this report, these cities showcase their dedication to sustainability, and moreover the economic and social power of local governments as agents of change.
His Excellency Abdullah Al Shaibani (Centre Right): The announcement is a reflection of Dubai’s global leadership efforts in strengthening the role of cities.

Pictured Centre Left: H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai - Pictured far right: Senator Art Eggleton, Chair, WCCD Global City Leaders Advisory Board.

The host cities of the Local Data Hubs are already speaking to their local and global importance. His Excellency Abdulla Abdul Rahman Al Shaibani - Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, spoke to the importance of the initiative following the 2017 WCCD Global Cities Summit, that Dubai hosted in March 2017. “In March, Dubai hosted the Global Cities Summit in partnership with the WCCD, and with the participation of a number of global and regional leaders and experts, from over 50 cities across five different continents, culminating in the adoption of the 'Dubai Declaration 2017', which established a framework for city data as the universal language driving forward three critically important agendas for 2030, including a commitment to inclusive cities, smart nations and a sustainable planet." The Secretary General underlined the importance of the establishment of the WCCD-Dubai-Local Data Hub in supporting the UAE’s commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030.

Speaking at the United Nations, Carlos Colombo, Undersecretary of Planning for the City of Buenos Aires: “Establishing the Buenos Aires – WCCD Local Data Hub will help the City to share the expertise we have developed with all the municipalities in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, enabling us to work together on planning at the metropolitan level. Through WCCD ISO 37120 data we can also understand and demonstrate how Buenos Aires is supporting progress towards the SDGs.”

Also speaking at the Local2030 event, Gary DykeChief Administrative Officer of the City of Cambridge, Canada added: “"We are proud to be a champion for the use of standardized metrics to track performance and find shared solutions. For the City of Cambridge, hosting a WCCD Local Data Hub is an opportunity to learn from what other cities are doing while highlighting our own experiences. Cambridge is a key partner in Ontario’s “Innovation Corridor”, and the establishment of a hub will also buoy sustainability and economic diversification in our region. The more we grow internally by reaching out beyond our borders, the stronger we get. But the stronger  we get, the cooperation with our neighboring cities is key — in Ontario and further afield — and I think that’s what the hub will generate.”


For more information on the WCCD, ISO 37120 certification, please visit www.dataforcities.org or Contact Us.


For more information, please contact:
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2 comments:

  1. Dear WCCD, thanks to the good and useful initiatives, I have a request, I want more information about HUBs.

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    1. Feel free to send us an email at info@dataforcities.org with any specific questions!

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