CITY-TO-CITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SOUTH-SOUTH AND TRIANGULAR COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT

The report examines the role of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) in fostering sustainable urban development and climate resilience in the Global South. It highlights the importance of the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda, arguing that traditional North-South cooperation is insufficient. Through various case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the document demonstrates how cities share knowledge on green transportation, water management, and urban planning. Key examples include Shenzhen's carbon trading, India's water resilience efforts, and Mexico City's green bonds. The report concludes that while cities are critical to the 'climate battle,' they often face institutional and financial barriers that SSTC can help overcome through peer-to-peer learning and innovative financing.

• Cities are significant contributors to global climate change, accounting for more than 70 percent of global CO2 emissions and consuming over two-thirds of the world's energy.
• South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) is presented as a necessary complement to North-South cooperation, as the latter alone is insufficient for countries to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Shenzhen, China, has implemented a 'cap-and-trade' carbon emission trading scheme since 2013 to coordinate economic growth with emissions control, involving 635 industrial enterprises and some public buildings.
• Indian cities Chennai, Pune, and Surat are utilizing global networks like 100 Resilient Cities and the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) to improve urban water management and flood resilience.
• Buenos Aires has addressed urban heat islands and heatwaves through the Environmental Protection Agency (APRA), utilizing a participatory regulatory framework and tools like the Green View Index (GVI) to quantify street tree cover.
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, launched the first Light Rail Transit (LRT) system in sub-Saharan Africa, which is powered by 100% renewable energy from hydropower and wind.
• Mexico City was the first Latin American city to issue green bonds, starting with a bond valued at approximately 46 million EUR in December 2016 to fund sustainable transport and renewable energy projects.
• The PADIS-INT software, developed by the China Population and Development Research Centre (CPDRC), provides subnational population projections to assist urban planning in cities like Chongqing.
• The FAO facilitated a city-to-city cooperation mechanism where Dakar, Senegal, shared its successful micro-gardening techniques with the cities of Douala (Cameroon) and Praia (Cabo Verde) to improve urban food security.
• Shanghai has implemented a 'Sponge City' construction programme to mitigate urban flooding and improve water quality through nature-based solutions like permeable roads and rain gardens.
• São Paulo has reduced transport-related CO2 emissions by implementing exclusive bus lanes and corridors, and has developed electricity plants that utilize methane generated in landfills.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). CITY-TO-CITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SOUTH-SOUTH AND TRIANGULAR COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CitytoCity.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. CITY-TO-CITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SOUTH-SOUTH AND TRIANGULAR COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT. n.d. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CitytoCity.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=CITY-TO-CITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SOUTH-SOUTH AND TRIANGULAR COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT |url=https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CitytoCity.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndcitytocity, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{CITY-TO-CITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SOUTH-SOUTH AND TRIANGULAR COOPERATION ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CitytoCity.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }