(in photo above) The S²Cities program exhibit was part of the Cities for a Sustainable Future cluster during the 8th Session of the Committee on Environment and Development.

ICLEI Southeast Asia brought the Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) program to the 8th Session of the Committee on Environment and Development (CED-8) organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand from 16 to 18 October 2024. 

As part of the program’s outreach and engagement efforts, ICLEI Southeast Asia mounted a dedicated S²Cities exhibit during the CED-8. The booth featured printed materials including the S²Cities Impact Report, a program flyer, and two case studies highlighting youth-led urban resilience efforts in Baguio City and Naga City, Philippines. 

Jameela Mendoza, ICLEI Southeast Asia Communications Assistant, engaged with the S²Cities exhibit visitors.

Throughout the three-day event, the booth provided CED-8 attendees a glimpse into how S²Cities is fostering safer, more inclusive, and youth-empowered urban environments in Southeast Asia. It drew attention to how local governments in cities like Baguio, Naga, and Bandung in Indonesia are embedding youth participation into local planning and infrastructure decisions. For instance, Baguio City has earmarked funding to support a localized version of the S²Cities initiative, while Naga has issued an executive order that formalizes youth engagement in city development processes. Meanwhile, the S²Cities program in Bandung has led to the establishment and recognition of the youth group Kami Ruang Ketiga as a formal non-government organization. 

Chris Hidalgo, ICLEI Southeast Asia Communications Head, presented the background and outcomes of the S²Cities program during a side presentation at the UNCC Sustainability and Innovation Center.

On 18 October, ICLEI Southeast Asia also participated in a side presentation at the UNCC Sustainability and Innovation Center. The presentation provided a deeper look into the program’s theory of change, its early impacts across the region, and the future directions it is taking. The audience engaged with questions on long-term sustainability, which allowed ICLEI to highlight how S²Cities outcomes are already being institutionalized in partner cities. 

Baguio is the first city in the Philippines and the second city in Southeast Asia to officially be part of the S²Cities global network of program cities. It follows the pilot sites of Bandung, Indonesia and Envigado, Colombia. 

Earlier this year, Baguio and Naga have signed their respective memoranda of understanding for the program’s second year of local implementation.