Thursday 24 January 2019

Canadian-based WCCD Launches the Report “WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - 2018” in Los Angeles with Mayor Eric Garcetti and Deputy Mayor Miguel Sangalang

Last week, WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney, was in Los Angeles for the first in a series of planned launches of the 2018 edition of WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. First published in 2017, this comprehensive Report has become a global, go-to resource focusing on localization of the global goals to support cities in moving towards a more sustainable planet by 2030.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
“For the WCCD, it is particularly fitting to launch the 2018 edition of WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals alongside Mayor Eric Garcetti and Deputy Mayor Miguel Sangalang in Los Angeles. A growing cluster of data-driven and connected WCCD ISO 37120 certified cities are emerging up and down the west coast of North America – and Los Angeles is at the centre of this corridor of connected cities that span Canada, the United States and Mexico. From Surrey, British Columbia to Guadalajara, Mexico, ISO 37120 is not only helping cities to localize the SDGs but is also creating opportunities for trade and investment across cities,” stated Dr. McCarney. In February 2018, Mayor Garcetti and Dr. McCarney signed an MOU towards the establishment of the Los Angeles-WCCD Local Data Hub. A vital aspect of this work will focus on SDG localization, but is also an opportunity for cities to connect and have data driven conversations on common issues like prosperity, infrastructure,  inclusivity and trade through standardised city data. 
According to Mayor Garcetti: "Los Angeles is proud to be a leader in building a healthier, more prosperous world because today’s decisions will shape tomorrow for our children and grandchildren…By giving cities a set of universal metrics to measure their progress toward meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the WCCD’s [2018] report will encourage the collaboration and data-driven solutions that cities need to create a better future for their residents.”
Dr. McCarney and Mayor Garcetti sign the MOU towards establishing the
Los Angeles – WCCD Local Data Hub in 2018.
The first edition of this Report was launched at the UN Headquarters in New York in July 2017 during the WCCD Thematic Session on Data for the SDGs, hosted by the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. Since 2014, the Toronto-based WCCD has been working globally to help cities to report comparable, open and independently verified city data, certified against ISO 37120 – the first international standard for cities. WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals maps ISO 37120 to the targets of the SDGs, allowing cities to embrace the Global Goals at a local level, and to measure progress against them.
Dr. McCarney presents Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Miguel Sangalang with a copy of
WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2018.

LA Deputy Mayor Miguel Sangalang underlined the importance of the WCCD global network for achieving measurable change in cities, with a call to action for other cities to join the global network. “Los Angeles joined the WCCD as a Foundation City because we immediately saw the value in having an honest, comparable account of how LA stacks up against our global peers through the first-ever global standard for city indicators. This information enables us to better plan for and mitigate risks and will only become more powerful as cities across the world join.” The launch event in Los Angeles marks the first in a series of planned, global launches of the 2018 edition of WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
 Los Angeles first joined the WCCD global network in 2015 and is certified at the Platinum level. In addition to its status as a WCCD Foundation City (one of the first cities certified globally under ISO 37120), Los Angeles (alongside WCCD Foundation City Buenos Aires) was profiled in the 2017 publication, “The Citywide Benefits of Smart & Connected Public Lighting - Assessed through WCCD ISO 37120 Data,” jointly prepared with WCCD Foundation Partner, Signify (previously Philips Lighting).
For more information, please contact:
James Patava