The 2004 AUICK Associate Cities Conference

Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe (AUICK) organized the “2004 AUICK Associate Cities Conference on ICPD Tenth Anniversary Review: The Current Status and Future Challenges of Asian Medium-Sized Cities” in Kobe from 30th July to 1st August, 2004.  The conference was attended by 166 participants, including 58 participants from abroad: Mayors and representatives of nine Asian cities, representatives of UNFPA Headquarters and Country Offices, representatives of academic partners, and Mayor and the other senior officials of the Kobe City Government.

BACKGROUND

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Heads of State from countries around the globe committed themselves to a landmark agreement known as the "Millennium Declaration" and agreed on the following goals, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);

  1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
  2. Achieve universal primary education
  3. Promote gender equality and empower women
  4. Reduce child mortality
  5. Improve maternal health
  6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
  7. Ensure environmental sustainability
  8. Develop a global partnership for development

These goals are closely related to those adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994, which, among others, endorsed goals related to reproductive health, including family planning. Taken together these goals represent a major commitment by the international community to work towards improving the welfare and quality of life of the people at large.

There is a growing recognition that improved partnership is essential for the attainment of MDGs and ICPD goals. For the past fifteen years, AUICK, with support from the Kobe City Government and UNFPA, has been assisting medium-sized cities of Asia, where a significant part of the total and urban population lives, and whose needs are not adequately addressed.

Meeting the needs of this large part of the urban population is essential for attaining the MDGs and ICPD goals, and represents a continuing challenge. Therefore, following the advice of AUICK’s International Advisory Committee (IAC) and UNFPA, AUICK launched a new four year project in 2004 with continued support from the Kobe City Government and UNFPA. The new strategy involves focusing on nine medium-sized cities of Asia, designated as AUICK Associate Cities (AACs), and promoting city-university partnerships in these cities to assist in identifying and addressing urban issues, with a particular focus on MDGs and ICPD goals. The new strategy also envisages strengthening of south-south cooperation among the AACs.

The nine cities that have been selected as AACs are: Chittagong (Bangladesh), Weihai (China), Chennai (India), Surabaya (Indonesia), Kuantan (Malaysia), Faisalabad (Pakistan), Olongapo (Philippines), Khon Kaen (Thailand) and Danang (Vietnam).

Seven of the nine cities are port cities, while Faisalabad and Khon Kaen are inland. Populations of the cities vary in size from 130,000 in Khon Kaen to 4.6 million in Chennai. To some extent, this difference reflects the variation in the population size of the respective countries and also the distribution of cities by size, in each of the countries.

CONFERENCE OBJECTS

The conference was an important first step towards forging a commitment from city leaders to work towards meeting the MDGs and ICPD goals and supporting of AUICK's programmes in their respective cities.

The conference commemorated the tenth anniversary of ICPD and the fifteenth anniversary of AUICK, and marked the approaching tenth anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The conference also sought to promote collaboration among AACs, UNFPA country offices, and the academia, in identifying and addressing the issues of medium-sized cities.

PARTICIPATION

The conference was attended by 166 participants. All AACs were represented by mayors or senior administrative officials. Academics representing institutions that would hopefully become AAC partners were also present, with the exception of Chennai and Weihai, whose possible academic partners were not decided. UNFPA was represented by the Director of Asia and the Pacific Division, the Director of the Tokyo Office, and Assistant Representatives and staff from the relevant UNFPA country offices. The Kobe City Government was represented by Mayor of Kobe and the other senior officials. Thus, the conference provided a forum for all the partners (AACs, Academia, UNFPA, the Kobe City Government and AUICK) to exchange ideas and to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

FIRST SESSION ON 1 AUGUST 2004

Opening Address
Keynote Speech
Speech by Mayor of Kobe
Election of Chairs
AUICK Report
Presentation on AUICK Associate Cities

SECOND SESSION ON 1 AUGUST 2004

Presentation on City-University Partnership
Presentation on Linkages between UNFPA Programmes and AUICK Activities
Closing
KOBE DECLARATION

AUICK ASSOCIATE CITIES KOBE DECLARATION

MAJOR RELATED EVENTS

Meeting with Mayor of Kobe
Welcome Reception