Advocacy and Outreach: MobiliseYourCity's Global Advocacy for Sustainable Urban Mobility in 2024

Written by Giuliana Ambrosino

Through our Advocacy and Outreach activities, we inspire organisations and individuals to champion and invest in sustainable urban mobility. By sharing success experiences at the local level, we shape the global dialogue, build partnerships with diverse institutions, and rally cities and countries to drive transformative action. 

We advance advocacy through the power of the Partnership.  

Our Partnership demonstrates the power of unity, especially regarding advocacy. In all 11 events where MobiliseYourCity participated in 2024, the Secretariat joined forces with one or more partner organisations and member cities or countries to better communicate the needs to tackle urban mobility challenges in the Global South and showcase the actions we lead to improve it. This collaboration with diverse stakeholders optimises resources and amplifies our impact, always adapting the content and messages to the target audience. 

This year, MobiliseYourCity engaged globally and regionally to advance sustainable urban mobility through impactful events and partnerships. At the Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum 2024 in Manila, we highlighted the importance of walking and cycling in urban mobility planning alongside ADB, ITDP, and other partners. In Kigali, we joined GIZ’s Mobilize Net-Zero Project, VREF, and TUMI for a groundbreaking regional exchange on minibus electrification and paratransit reform. Our participation in roundtables on road safety, paratransit, and investment—held in Berlin, Lima, and Brussels—helped shape key discussions for the Hamburg Sustainability Conference that made it to the Hamburg Sustainability Charter. At WUF12, we hosted a session, together with the AFD, to explore how African cities have been shaping their urban form through large-scale mass transit infrastructure projects. We also strengthened collaboration with KfW during their retreat in Frankfurt by presenting SUMPs and NUMPs as vital tools for urban development. 

Climate Chance Summit in Liege 
8 February 2024, Liege 

At the Climate Chance Summit in Liege in February 2024, MobiliseYourCity led a session on incorporating climate adaptation into sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) in a pitch corner. The session, organised with Climate Chance, introduced a methodology to integrate climate resilience into urban mobility planning, emphasising its importance for sustainable urban development. 

Roundtables for the HSC 
March 2024, Berlin, Brussels, Lima 

 

The Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) Round Table format offered the MobiliseYourCity Partnership a unique opportunity to actively shape the Hamburg Sustainability Conference agenda and access highly exclusive networking opportunities.  The results of the Round Tables served as the foundation of the conference program and the Hamburg Sustainability Charter.

MobiliseYourCity organised three Round Tables in 2024: 

• In Berlin, Germany, MobiliseYourCity contributed to two roundtables on the topic of road safety. The event was the occasion to present a road safety diagnosis in MobiliseYourCity’s member cities and underline how implementing MobiliseYourCity SUMPs could greatly enhance road safety data collection based on local information availability.  
• In Lima, Peru, a round table on “Transforming Urban Mobility in Latin America - The Role of the Informal Sector in Urban Transport in Peru” was co-organised by MobiliseYourCity, in collaboration with the GIZ and CODATU. The roundtable aimed at making visible the challenges of informal transport in urban mobility in Peru.  
• Finally, the Partnership co-organized a roundtable on public and private investment in Brussels, Belgium. This third and last event in the HSC Roundtable framework discussed the barriers to investing in transport infrastructure in the Global South and analysed the existing instruments. This event started a bigger discussion on the private sector engagement in the Partnership. 

 
The fruitful discussions of the three roundtables gave precious input for shaping the agenda for the Hamburg Sustainability Conference in October. In particular, the topic of paratransit discussed in Peru has been retained as a central topic in the Hamburg Sustainability Charter. 

ITF Paratransit Roundtable  
31 March and 1 April 2024, Santiago de Chile  
The MobiliseYourCity Secretariat participated in round tables on paratransit to align policy recommendations from ITF with the overall MobiliseYourCity approach to reform, integrate, and professionalise the Paratransit sector. The Roundtable focused on how authorities assess the externalities linked to paratransit services, the results of such assessments, and how they lead to decisions on paratransit reform in various contexts. The Roundtable was the basis of a set of principles to help authorities better assess, select and implement reforms that can maximise societal benefits and minimise negative externalities. 

Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum 2024 
16 May 2024, Manila  

MobiliseYourCity hosted an event during the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum 2024. The session emphasised the role of walking and cycling in urban mobility planning, featuring a collaboration between MobiliseYourCity Asia, IDOM, ITDP Indonesia, and ADB. Discussions showcased best practices for integrating active transport modes into mobility policies, particularly to enhance last-mile connectivity with public transport systems. 

Mobilize Net-Zero: Regional Exchange on Minibus Electrification in Africa    
11-13 June 2024, Kigali 
In Kigali, MobiliseYourCity partnered with GIZ’s Mobilize Net-Zero Project, VREF, and TUMI for a regional exchange on minibus electrification. This event convened governments, academia, and experts to discuss electrifying larger vehicles in Africa, addressing challenges like paratransit formalisation and electric mobility priorities. The Secretariat presented case studies and highlighted the importance of reforming paratransit services as momentum for mass transit systems grows. The event was also the occasion to meet our English-speaking African Community of Practice and to exchange with practitioners on their need in terms of sustainable urban mobility. 

KfW Retreat in Frankfurt 
17 September 2024, Frankfurt 

At a KfW retreat in Frankfurt, MobiliseYourCity explored BMZ’s perspectives on urban development and mobility, reflecting on lessons learned and opportunities for innovation. The Secretariat highlighted the value of the Partnership’s SUMPs and NUMPs as tools for consultation and exchange, strengthening collaboration with KfW for future initiatives. 

Business Club - CODATU 
25 September 2024, Paris 
Invited by CODATU, the MobiliseYourCity Secretariat accompanied a representative from the EU DG INTPA to introduce the EU’s Global Gateway strategy to the participants of CODATU’s business club. For the first time, a direct dialogue between private sector representatives and the EU was possible thanks to the role CODATU has in convening private companies working on urban mobility in the Global South.  

World Urban Forum 12 (WUF12) 
4-8 November 2024, Cairo 
MobiliseYourCity participated in WUF12 in Cairo. The premier global forum on sustainable urban development addressed topics like mobility, climate resilience, and gender equality. We hosted two sessions on developing cities through mobility and active mobility initiatives: Developing the City Through Mobility and Pan African Action Plan for Active Mobility (PAAPAM).