This week, Conference of the Parties (COP) of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Poland focused international attention on addressing climate change in cities and countries. A dvocates are trying to remind policymakers to consider marginalized populations in urban climate planning. According to Sheela Patel, founder of the NGO Slumdwellers International, although cities are making an admirable effort to improve resiliency, they frequently fail to address informal areas, such as city slums. Patel says: "When I look at climate change, I see several challenges. The urban poor are not seen by national governments as worthy of national attention...Most cities are in denial of the informality in their city." IHC Global agrees with Patel that city leaders should consider marginalized populations during urban planning. Even the best- intentions to mitigate the effects of natural disasters on city centers can sometimes exacerbate dangerous conditions in city outskirts and slums.

On December 3rd, nonprofit World Enabled launched the Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities in Berlin. The Compact aims to recognize the 1 billion persons with disabilities and 500 million persons over 60 living in urban areas. With important civil society, INGO, and municipal support, the Compact seeks to embed the core principles of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda into city domains such as outdoor spaces, public transportation, housing, and employment to encourage age-friendly and accessible community participation and health.

Read more here.

In India, seven-year old Hanifa Zaara, brought her father to the All Women's Police Station for refusing to build a toilet he promised for their home. According to Hanifa, who felt ashamed by defecating in the open, her father told her should she excel in her classes he would build her a toilet, but despite her academic performance, "he kept giving me the same excuse about not having enough money." The City Commissioner S. Parthasarathy says he was happy to receive Hanifa's complaint as the city has tried to encourage toilets to be built in every home. Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India would be defecation-free by 2019, but the effort is an uphill battle. A recent study found 89% of rural Indians defecate in the open, largely due to deeply-held attitudes about waste "rooted in the social forces of caste and untouchability." While largely a rural issue, the World Bank estimates that 7% of a 450 million urban population continue to openly defecate. 

Read more here.

Since 2008 the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation has recognized cities that propose or execute innovative solutions to urban problems. This year's cities, according to Guangzhou Award grantor demonstrate the ways in which cities and municipalities can adapt global agendas, namely the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. Winning ideas include Milan's new urban food policy to address the food chain system from farm to table to scraps, and Metzitl, Turkey's efforts to help Turkish women enter the typically male-dominated traditional food markets by opening 9 markets exclusively reserved for 612 women.