After three weeks of online elections, results have been released today to announce the new Steering Committee for the World Urban Campaign.
The Steering Committee is the decision-making organ of the World Urban Campaign. It represents the various constituencies and meets quarterly to decide on governance, vision, engagement, communication and outreach matters. The World Urban Campaign is a key platform of UN-Habitat to engage and advocate with a large diversity of organizations working on urban issues around the world. Currently, the WUC has 224 member organizations spread into 16 different groups.
After more than two years since the WUC elections at WUF10 in Abu Dhabi, the WUC partners have chosen to elect Analia Lourdes Pastran and Sri Husnaini Sofjan as their two co-Chairs. This is a wise choice between continuity and the future. Sri Husnaini Sofjan has been WUC Chair in the last term and will ensure continuity given her solid experience working with a variety of partners, and a stronghold in civil society, women groups and grassroots. Analia Pastran will provide leadership with her vision based on social entrepreneurship, working closely with young people, parliamentarians and local leaders, focused on action towards the SDGs.
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Sri Husnaini Sofjan is one of the founder organizations of the WUC and brings over 30 years of immense knowledge in sustainable urbanization, gender challenges, and community activities to the campaign. She works as a Senior Program Advisor with the Huairou Commission, a global coalition of women's networks whose mission is to empower grassroots women. The alliance provides them with resources and tools to help them grow as leaders and opportunities to share their views, tactics, and triumphs with other grassroots women worldwide. She formerly worked as the first CEO of the Penang Women's Development Corporation, a state-funded organization. Sri has previously served as a regional program manager for The Urban Governance Initiative (TUGI), a UNDP initiative across Asia and the Pacific. Her leadership in the WUC will be grounded in communities and a deep understanding of the many challenges hampering cities, especially in the global south.
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Analia Lourdes Pastran works as the Executive Director of Smartly Social Entrepreneurship on the SDGs in Buenos Aires. She received the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) Presidential Award and the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award in Salerno, Italy. She has been a member of the WUC Steering Committee since 2019 as WUC Co-Chair in the Professionals Partner Constituent Group, where she oversaw Urban Thinkers Campuses. She is also the Director of International Relations for Argentina's National Road Safety Agency and, received the Road Safety Communication Award from the National Directorate of Roads (DNV) and the Association of Journalists of Traffic and Transport of Argentina (APTTA). Her work was an invaluable contribution to road safety by the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina. Analia is a facilitator in the Health and Road Safety United Nations Road Safety Found (UNRSF)' Platforms of Engagement and a member of the Gender Equality and Road Safety Group. The National Directorate of Roads (DNV) and the Association of Traffic and Transport Journalists of Argentina honoured her with the Road Safety Communication Award (APTTA).
PARTNERS CONSTITUENT GROUPS HAVE ALSO ELECTED THEIR CHAIRS.
A diversity of organizations are represented in the following constituencies. The newly elected chairs below will help expand the WUC to better advocate and engage in sustainable urbanization, and promote alliance for action to achieve the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs.
Congratulations to the new elected Partner Constituent Groups (PCG) chairs below:
Local and Sub-national Authorities :
Christian Hubel - Studien Institut Rhein-Neckar, Mannheim
Garlynn G. Woodsong - PLACE Initiative
Research and Academia :
Bruce Stiftel - Global Planning Education Association Network
Margarita Greene - Center for Sustainable Urban Development
Civil Society Organizations:
Alexis Galinos – Organization Earth
Jane W. Katz – Global Urban Development
Grassroots Organizations:
Joseph Oduor Otieno - Leaders for Leaders Champions
Women:
Limota Goroso Giwa - Huairou Commission Women, Homes & Community
Jane Anyango Odongo - Polycom Development Project
Children and Youth :
Anne Louise Meincke – Plan International
Meng Wang – World Young Scientists (YES) Network
Business and Industries :
Alex Francisco – Arcadis
Parisa Kloss – Resilient Urban Planning and Development (RUPD) Gbr
Foundations and Philanthropies :
Reza Pourvaziry – Urban Economy Forum Association
Petros Kokkalis – Kokkalis Foundation
Professionals :
Mona Rady - Africa Union of Architects
Wei Yang - Royal Town Planning Institute
Farmers :
Ebrima M. Jagne - Bamboo Foundation
Indigenous People:
Bassey Bassey - HipCity Innovation Centre
Medias:
Christopher Elisara - First+Main Films & Better Cities Film Festival
Older Persons :
Michael Kanyingi Kimuhu - Mangu Integrated Community
All information regarding the above PCGs Chairs is available at https://www.worldurbancampaign.org/wuc-chairs
Elected WUC Chairs will introduce themselves at the upcoming WUC Steering Committee Meeting to be held on 28 June 2022 (From 09:30 to 11:30 - ICC Multifunction Hall - Room 17) during the World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland.