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AUICK Second 2009 Workshop AUICK held its Second 2009 Workshop in Kobe, Japan, from 29 September to 4 October, with the support of Kobe City Government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The title of the Workshop was "Population and Sustainable Development: Why Population Counts". Participants were eight senior city government officials of AUICK Associate Cities (AACs).
"...human
beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development, since
people are the most important and valuable resource of any nation.
Consequently, the right to development must be fulfilled so as to meet
equitably the population, development and enviornment needs of present
and future generations. " CONTENTS 1.
Background
Since
its establishment in April 1989, AUICK has
facilitated the exchange of information on population
and development related issues and challenges, to help
increase the capacities of senior officials of medium-sized
cities in Asia to plan for and address them appropriately. Annual Workshops in Kobe train Asian urban administrators in integrated population and urban planning, for the transfer of knowledge and best practices both from Kobe's experience (North to South), and between the administrators of the participating cities (South to South). The Second 2009 AUICK Workshop was organized to review the interdependent relationship between population and sustainable development. It provided a forum for participants to identify major or emerging population developmental challenges affecting each AUICK Associate City (AAC) (in particular population ageing), and to formulate action goals and plans to solve those problems. Presentations were given by participants, as well as AUICK, Kobe City and UNFPA officials and academic experts. Site visits related to the theme were conducted, with special emphasis on community-based welfare and the active aged population. At the end of the Workshop, the participants developed and presented plans of action for appropriate administrative measures to implement in their cities, in the light of knowledge and experience gained from the workshop. The Workshop also marked the 5th anniversary of the 2004 AUICK Associate Cities Conference, the 20th anniversary of AUICK, and the 15th anniversary of the 1994 International Conference of Population and Development (ICPD), whose Programme of Action has provided the main framework for the development of the AUICK Program. It aimed to strengthen collaboration between AUICK and AACs for strategic measures beyond 2009, and promote links among AACs, UNFPA Country Offices and academic institutions, toward the formulation of policies and actions to improve the quality of life of citizens in Asian cities. Participants of the Second 2009 Workshop were senior officials, including vice-mayors, of AUICK Associate Cities (AACs), including Chittagong (Bangladesh), Weihai (China), Surabaya (Indonesia), Kuantan (Malaysia), Faisalabad (Pakistan), Olongapo (Philippines), Khon Kaen (Thailand), and Danang (Vietnam). The participants included the following (in alphabetical order by country): Mr.
M. Imtiaz Hossain Chowdhury <Accompanying
Interpreter> <Resource
Persons> <Other
Attendees>
AUICK ChairmanMr. Tatsuo Yada, Mayor of Kobe (pictured front center), welcomed participants to the Second 2009 Workshop on behalf of colleagues Dr. Hirofumi Ando (President), Mr. Toshihiko Ono (Executive Director), Mr. Shoji Temba (Deputy Executive Director), and Mr. Toru Fujiwara (Manager). He reminded the participants of AUICK and UNFPA's joint collaboration since 1989 to address issues related to increasing urbanization. Over its 120-year history, Kobe has developed as an international city, characterized by its population movement and recovery from disasters, such as the destruction of World War II and the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. In 2009, 340,000 (22%) of its 1.54 million citizens were over 65 years old, and the figure is increasing by 10,000 per year. Those over 100 years old numbered 663 people. The city government has to plan for the rising demand for medication and nursing care of the elderly, and the financial burden that this entails. Mr. Yada expressed the importance of volunteer activity and citizen participation in municipal projects, with the long-term vision of building up communities toward sustainable development. He concluded by expressing the hope that the Workshop participants would implement lessons learned upon returning to their cities. 4.2. Presentations 4.2.1. The Demographic Transition 
Dr. Gayl D. Ness,
Member
of AUICK International Advisory Committee 4.2.2. Population Changes and Policy Implications: NTA Approach
4.2.3. Elderly Care Policies in Kobe City
4.2.4. Urban Development of Kobe City
4.2.5. Best Practice: The Use of Population Data for Development Planning in Surabaya, Indonesia
4.2.6. Best Practice: The Establishment and Utilization of the Management Information System (MIS) for Olongapo City Planning
4.2.7. Promoting Sustainable Development and the Welfare of Ageing Populaitons - the Role of UNFPA
4.3. Site Visits 4.3.1. Visits to Communty-based Development Sites The participants of the Second 2009 Workshop visited some of Kobe’s facilities which promote the sustainable development of the city based in the community: Kobe City Silver College, the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution and Tamondai Community Welfare Center. 4.4. City Reports and Action Plans In the latter stages of AUICK Workshops, participants are each expected to produce an Action Plan of concrete measures to improve the welfare of their citizens, based on lessons learned from Kobe and the AUICK Associate Cities (AACs). They are provided with guidelines on how to appropriately formulate such plans, which should be both manageable and actionable, based on the resources of their government departments and administrations, as well as the financial, community, media, academic, private and organizational support at their disposal. Participants define the general issues under the Workshop theme, and then identify the specific problems to be addressed by the plans. In cases where huge projects are not feasible at the outset, smaller scale pilot projects are encouraged, which can later be expanded. The plans specify the government departments responsible for implementation and monitoring, and their component steps are laid out in a chronological timeframe, usually covering around 18 months, which are either sequential or overlapping, to reflect the necessary process by which each plan has to be achieved. (See AUICK Workshop Action Plan Implementation, 2005-2008.) 4.4.2. City Reports and Action Plans Following guidelines and advice on the re-formulation of their action plans, workshop participants were given time to draft, present and revise their plans. The results are shown on the following pages: »Chittagong,
Bangladesh
by Mr. M. Imtiaz Hossain Chowdhury 4.5. Second 2009 Workshop Closing Remarks The participants of the Second 2009 Workshop provided feedback on its programme through surveys and a discussion forum. Participants described presentations on The Demographic Transition and Population Changes and Policy Implications: NTA Approach as 'good knowledge for the Decision Makers' with 'useful data', and a 'new model for us to analyze population challenges'. Kobe City Government sessions on elderly care measures were 'inspiring' in showing many policies for the AUICK Associate Cities to emulate. The two Best Practice presentations showed the Management Information Systems (MIS) as a 'very good example to follow', and to be considered in other AACs. The Workshop site visits to the Silver College, Tamondai Community Center, Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution were described as 'memorable', 'useful', and 'encouraging' experiences, while participants 'learned a lot about UNFPA' , and were encouraged to 'connect more' with UNFPA in the future by the presentation on the role of UNFPA in promoting sustainable development and the welfare of aging populations. Action Plans were formulated that are 'good for data collection' and 'will help poor people'. Overall, 'important and vital issues' that had not been previously taken into account, 'different aspects which can effect the environment / social living on a daily basis', which 'can ultimately result in improving lifestyles and care for the aged' and 'the different ways to collect data and the utilization for calculating the issues and their solutions with priority' were key lessons absorbed into the administrations of AACs as a result of the Workshop.  The coastline of Kobe City |
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Mr.
Rikiya Matsukura, Researcher, Nihon Unniversity Population and Research
Institute (NUPRI); Dr. Hirofumi Ando, President of AUICK 
Ms.
Makiko Hirose, Manager, Citizens' Welfare Division,
Public Health and Welfare Bureau,
Kobe City Government 
Mr.
Yuichi Honjo, Execuvie Director, Kobe City Institute of Urban Research 
Mr.
Eric Mogan Sanchez, Project Development Office IV,
Research Station, City Planning and
Development Office, City Government of Olongapo, Philippines 
Dr.
Mari simonen, Deputy Executive Director (External Relations, United
Nations Affairs and Management), UNFPA