Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe
Presents

The New Strategy/Project For 2004-2007

AUICK Associate Cities Network (AAC)

1. Future Directions

(1) AUICK serves as a forum for sharing experiences and lessons learnt in incorporating population issues in urban planning among the planners and administrators of medium-sized cities.

(2) AUICK focuses on nine selected medium-sized cities, called AUICK Associate Cities (AACs), which could serve as role models in efficient urban planning. AUICK plans to invite Chittagong (Bangladesh), to be decided (China), Chennai (India), Surabaya (Indonesia), Kuantan (Malaysia), Faisalabad (Pakistan), Olongapo (Philippines), Khon Kaen (Thailand), and Danang (Vietnam) to AACs network.

(3) AUICK develops models of good urban planning that integrates population, reproductive health and gender issues by developing a pool of professionals in them through research and training.

(4) AUICK explores developing linkages among these cities to build South-South cooperation, and between cities and the universities/institutes/NGOs, as appropriate, for long term sustainability of the activities.

(5) AUICK focuses training on those components of the programmes that could help achieve the MDGs and the ICPD POA goals, particularly on the issues of HIV/AIDS, poverty, education, particularly for girls and women; living of slum dwellers; reproductive health among adolescents; water and sanitation; environment; and ageing.

(6) AUICK disseminates the successful experiences to other cities (beyond the model cities) through South-South cooperation by building an inter/intra country network of cities, close relationship with UNFPA country and regional programmes and through them with the central governments.

(7) AUICK prepares case studies of successful strategies of urban planning in different sectors and shares their results with trainees and other urban administrators everywhere.

(8) AUICK publishes newsletter and further develop the user-friendly website for effective and timely dissemination of information/knowledge to other planners and administrators.

2. Goal

Improved welfare and quality of life of the population in medium-sized cities and towns in line with national development goals and the attainment of the MDGs and of the goals contained in the ICPD POA.

3. Purpose/Outcome

(1) Enhanced understanding of the linkages between population and sustainable development and commitment among the senior city planners and administrators to address them.
(2) Better planning and policies for sustainable urban development.
(3) Improved design, and increased access to and utilization of urban services for reproductive health, health care, water and sanitation and HIV/AIDS prevention.

4. Outputs and activities
 
(1) Output 1: Improved knowledge, awareness, and understanding of senior city planners and administrators on the issues of population, reproductive health and gender faced by medium-sized cities and towns in Asia and of the constraints and challenges in addressing them.

Activity 1.1: To convene a mayors conference during 2004 focusing on specific issues pertinent to the planning of medium-sized cities and towns. To build necessary commitment among the mayors to support AUICK in achieving its project goals and providing requisite flexibilities to their sector heads to use training and learning for improvement of the programme services.

Activity 1.2: To collect baseline / endline data and conduct a situation analysis on issues facing selected medium-sized cities and towns, including the analysis, reporting and publication of the results. The results will be used to develop training material and baseline / endline indicators against which the project will be monitored and evaluated.

Activity 1.3: To develop case studies of good practices in implementation of the urban services for use in training and for dissemination to other programme planners and administrators.

(2) Output 2:  Improvement of linkages with UNFPA country programmes and national policies in the AUICK associate cities in a phased manner during the duration of the project.

Activity 2.1: To meet with UNFPA representatives, at least once a year to discuss progress in the implementation of the project and seek ways of collaboration between UNFPA country programme and activities at AACs.

Activity 2.2: To request the participation of UNFPA Representatives from the nine countries with the AACs in the mayors conference in 2004.

(3) Output 3:  Enhanced capacity of planners of medium-sized cities and towns to incorporate population, reproductive health and gender issues in urban planning, in particular the planning of urban services in conformity with the goals and recommendations of the Milliennium Declaration and the ICPD POA.

Activity 3.1: To organize and conduct one workshop for senior urban planners and administrators in 2004 on the interlinkages of population and sustainable development focusing on reproductive health needs of urban poor and youth, population ageing, gender, water and sanitation, and the provision of other urban services.

Activity 3.2: To organize and conduct a second workshop in 2004 and two workshops in each of the following years on special topics for planners and other technical staff of urban planning units.   The special topics will deal with those that are pertinent to achieving the goals and targets set in the ICPD POA and the MDGs.  IAC will guide AUICK in identifying the specific topics that will be taken up each year.

Activity 3.3: To develop a plan (during training period) for implementation on return to their work situation for improvement of urban services and increasing their quality and access.
 

(4) Output 4: Improved access to information, knowledge sharing, and networking on issues that are specific to medium-sized cities and towns.

Activity 4.1: To publish the newsletter, two issues each year, and disseminate to city planners and administrators across Asia.

Activity 4.2: To publish the newsletter and other relevant articles and information, including the reports of inter-city comparative studies and success stories, on the internet, and update the information on a regular basis.

Activity 4.3: To develop and strengthen a user-friendly web-based database on medium-sized cities in Asia, on an incremental basis for planners, administrators, students and research workers to use.

5. Execution and implementation modalities

(1) The project will be executed and also implemented by AUICK, which will have the overall and day to day responsibility for successful implementation, technical guidance as well as continuous monitoring and supervision of the project.

(2) The Action Plan prepared during the training courses will be implemented by AACs to improve services.  

(3) Technical support to AUICKs activities could be sought from other partner agencies implementing UNFPA regional programme, as appropriate, and from UNFPA/CST for East and South-east Asia.

(4) AUICK will also seek technical and other forms of support from its International Advisory Committee (IAC), Nihon University Population Research Institute and from Kobe International Center for Cooperation and Communication.

6. Monitoring and Evaluation

(1) The International Advisory Committee (IAC), meeting once a year, monitors programme of its annual activity plans, gives directions to its programme and addresses any issue that may impact on the success of the project.  IAC is comprised of distinguished scholars and administrators from each regional division in Asia and a UNFPA representative, as well as members nominated by the AUICK's Executive Committee.

(2) The Domestic Advisory Committee (DAC) is responsible for general programme guidance and coordination with the UNFPA and national governments. The DAC is comprised of Japanese experts and leaders in the relevant fields, nominated by the Kobe City Government and UNFPA provide technical support to AUICK's activities.

(3) The Executive Committee (EC) is responsible for the management of activities. The progress in the implementation of the project will be regularly monitored by the Executive Committee.
 
(4) In line with UNFPA's new result-based approach to project monitoring and evaluation, the progress in the project, while reporting to UNFPA as per established guidelines, will report on results achieved rather than activities carried out.

(5) The AUICK staff will assess training activities on their usefulness, coverage and quality of sessions at the end of the course. This feed back will be used to strengthen such courses in future.

(6) The AUICK staff will visit the nine AACs once a year to monitor the implementation of the work-plan that the trainees finalize upon completion of their training.  During this visit, they will be able to provide technical guidance to the trainees and also meet with the mayor and other senior administrators to follow-up on the decisions taken and to seek their continued support for the activities of the project.

(7) Based on the indicators that have been agreed upon between UNFPA and AUICK, baseline data will be collected at the beginning of the project in 2004, and endline data will be collected at the end of the project in 2007.  The result achieved in the project will be monitored and evaluated by comparing the baseline data and endline data.

(8) During the final year, in 2007, the project's accomplishments will be assessed by an independent consultant, agreed mutually among the City of Kobe, UNFPA and AUICK