Tu My Tran
Moderator
This session will foster a dialogue between development cooperation agencies, donors, academia, national and local authorities and the private sector on the transformative potential of technology and digitalisation to contribute to a just transition in the field of urban development. Drawing on the experiences and lessons learned from projects following an urban living lab approach in Asia, Africa and Latin America, such as EcoZones, SOLUTIONSplus, Gender e-mob, eMoviliza and ACCESS, panelists will present the strategies adopted in each of these projects to put vulnerable communities and groups at the centre of implementation. Based on these experiences, the panellists will reflect on how social inclusion and gender equality can be better integrated into development cooperation and national and local policies to achieve greater impact. The event will start with a round of presentations on the challenges and opportunities for gender equality and social inclusion encountered in each project, followed by a panel discussion to reflect together on the best ways to mainstream these topics into urban development, and will end with a Q&A session to exchange with the audience and enrich the discussion.
1. To highlight the importance of putting vulnerable communities and groups at the center of the urban transition to ensure it leaves no one behind and follows the do no harm approach
2. To showcase (digital) tools and technologies that have proven to foster gender equality and social inclusion in cities, such as the EcoZones app, the city labs guide and the Sustainable Urban Solutions catalogue
3. To boost global collaboration by exchanging on best practices and lessons learnt on how to mainstream gender and social inclusion in urban development projects, as well as in national and local policies
4. To reflect on the regional differences and challenges and how to better address them
5. To showcase the role of urban living labs as venues for testing, learning, and scaling sustainable and inclusive solutions, adaptable to various urban settings.
6. To identify strategies for stakeholders to advance the integration of social inclusion and gender equality in urban development, focusing on technology, innovation, digitalization, investment, and policy support.