UK Partnership Formed to Focus on ‘Sustainable Urbanization’
February 6, 2021
(WP) - A group of stakeholders in the UK has just issued a ‘call to action’ to place increased focus on meeting sustainable development goals. The multi-sector group is made up of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum. This group claims to have the support of The Prince’s Foundation, the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure and the Rwandan Ministry of Local Government.
In In a press release issued by the group on February 4, 2021, the Prince of Wales is quoted as saying, “If we do not achieve the [sustainable development goals] (SDGs) in cities and towns, we will certainly miss the targets overall. In this respect, city and local government mayors and leaders have a crucial convening and leadership role to play in ensuring the social, economic and environmental needs of local communities are met.”
His statement seems to be referring to the global sustainable development goals issued by the World Economic Forum, and commonly referred to as being part of Agenda 2030.
A spokesperson for each of the sectors represented by the group provided reasoning behind their inclusion in the overall initiative. Dr. Joanna Newman MBE, Chief Executive and Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities said, in part, “Higher education has a critical role to play in tackling the issues of rapid urbanization and climate change. From teaching architects to training town planners, from understanding the impact of urbanization to developing technical and policy solutions, universities are helping to create a more sustainable future for our rapidly changing and expanding global populations.
Eleanor Mohammed, President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners said that [urban] “planners around the world work with communities and governments to create the cities of the future.” She went on to say that “sustainable urbanization is critical if we are to achieve resilient, inclusive and productive cities.”
As for the Commonwealth Association of Architects, President Kalim Siddiqui claims that they are “deeply concerned with the present dismal situation of the built environment directly attributed to climate change and rapid urbanization.”
Further alluding to globalization ideology, the group confirms its desire and commitment to working collectively toward achieving “the global goal of leaving no one and no place behind.”
Critics of collective efforts such as this warn that they underhandedly seek to implement draconian tactics to abolish private property rights and force citizens to live in smart cities under continual observation and control. Sustainable development goals published by the World Economic Forum do support the establishment and rollout of regional groups that guide urban planning efforts in very specific ways that will support globalization efforts. The announcement of this UK collective seems to signal that these groups truly are rolling out.
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