Programs and Initiatives

While we hope you might find the links below of interest, please note the World Bank is not responsible for the content of the following websites.

The Sustainable Cities Program (SCP) is a UN Facility with the objective of packaging and applying specialized know-how in Urban Environmental Management.  The SCP provides municipal authorities and their partners in the public, private and community sectors with improved capacities in environmental planning and management.         

The Urban Environment Forum (UEF), a UN-Habitat program,  is a global coalition of cities and international support programs working in the urban environment. The Forum is defined by the shared concerns of its members whose mission is to facilitate the ability of the members, individually and collectively, to achieve their goals in Environmental Planning and Management  (tip: search for the links on the left).

Making Cities Work, a program supported by the USAID, is led by its Urban Programs Team that works to ensure that development programs are appropriately designed to fit the unique form of the urban place.  This website  highlights key urban challenges, provides useful notes on programming in these areas, and directs development professionals to useful resources that can help guide them as they implement programs in developing cities. It offers an integral view focusing on  inter-related pieces of the urban planning process, including environmental planning and management.

The Cities Feeding People (CFP) Program Initiative  is hosted by the International Development Research Center (IDRC), a Canadian public corporation that works in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world in their search for the means to build healthier, more equitable and more prosperous societies.  The CFP attempts to bridge that gap by supporting research and development activities that increase the food security and incomes of the poor while maintaining public health and a clean urban environment.  The work of the program concentrates where urbanization is proceeding most rapidly: Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa.   In addition, this website provides access to current projects, publications and other resources.   

The Urbanization and Environment Program (UEP) conducts policy research on the relationships between urbanization, development and environmental sustainability. The aim is to provide management guidelines for innovative, cultural and technological solutions. UEP embraces a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder participatory approach in addressing urban environmental challenges to achieve livable and sustainable cities. (Source: Thailand Environment Institute).

The Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment (PPPUE) program of the UNDP supports the development of innovative partnerships between public and private actors at the local level. Focusing on assisting small and medium-sized cities, PPPUE works with all potential stakeholders, including investors, providers, regulators, users, and experts to meet the challenge of providing basic urban environmental services.

The Sustainable Cities Initiative is a Canadian partnership aimed at enhancing the sustainability of economic development in cities, and helping citizens improve their quality of life without compromising their future.  Information about participating cities, events and links can be found in this website.