Conference: For Responsible Leadership Changes our Communities
6th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns
19-21 May 2010: Dunkerque, France
ACR+ was an official partner at the Dunkerque conference on “Delivering Sustainable Cities: The Local Leadership Challenge”. ACR+ also presented a parallel session entitled:
A6 – Encouraging responsible consumption and waste reduction in urban areas
During this parallel session the key messages to the EU/EC were:
- The entire research and development process needs to be revised. A range of stakeholders from industry, local government to consumers need to work in a more integrated manner. We need to develop channels.
- Need to highlight the importance of waste prevention and develop tools and programmes to improve consumption and manage materials in a sustainable manner.
- Through the Waste Framework Directive, EC need to assist Local Authorities to meet their targets and ensure that everyone is involved in this major activity.
- There is great variance of waste performances across Europe and we need support from the EU to develop tools to monitor and assess the local authorities' waste and recycling performances and have a common approach.
- Need to give more responsibity to the producer, develop financial instruments and coordinate those approaches across Europe.
- Need support to finance waste prevention and sustainable consumption campaigns in cities and regions.
This event explored how local sustainability can represent an answer to the current economic, social and climate challenges. Participants also considered how local sustainable development can be further implemented at the European level under the actual financial and political frameworks, in light of the outcomes of the climate negotiations taking place in December 2009 in Copenhaguen (COP-15).
As one of they key partners at Dunkerque 2010, ACR+ played an active role in the development of the resulting two political declarations: Dunkerque 2010 - Local Sustainability Declaration and Dunkerque 2010 Call on Climate Action, that were presented and approved by participants during the closing plenary on 21 May.
To learn more about the outcomes of the conference (political declarations) visit: www.dunkerque2010.org
Dunkerque 2010 is the latest of a series of conferences that seek to mainstream sustainable action throughout Europe and enable the accomplishments of local governments to influence sustainable policies. This event will offer a unique opportunity to assess and push forward the progress and achievements of European local governments in the field of sustainable development.