How to Increase Financing for the SDGs at the Local Level Through United Nations Action?

Kanop Ketchart is the Mayor of Nakhon Si Thammarat City, the capital of the province under the same name. He has earned the title of “Smart City Champion” from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Thailand following the introduction of the creation of a two-way digital communication platform that links residents to the city regarding public services, flood early warning system, and next-generation schools that use convergence and metaverse technologies to improve education. Dr. Ketchart graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He earned the Degree of Master and Doctor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado in the United States. Dr. Ketchart is an engineer by training, and has served as lecturer and a thesis committee in the Faculty of Engineering of many universities. He had also been an academic committee of the Geotechnical Engineering Institute of Thailand.

Shipra Narang Suri is Chief of Urban Practices Branch of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. She leads several major areas of UN-Habitat’s work such as national urban policies; legislation and governance; urban planning and design; urban economy and finance; urban basic services; safer cities; human rights and social inclusion. She is also the senior advisor within UN-Habitat for SDG Localization, local governments and their networks and is one of the recognised leaders of the United Nations, in this space. She oversees the Local2030 Secretariat to advance the SDGs and make them a reality at the local level. Dr. Suri is the former co-Chair of the World Urban Campaign, the former Vice-President of the General Assembly of Partners, and the former Vice-President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP). She has worked with the United Nations (UN-HABITAT, UNDP, and UNESCO) as well as international NGOs and private sector organisations, for over two decades. She has worked across Asia, Africa, South Eastern Europe and the Middle-East.

Dan Grandage is Head of Sustainable Investing at abrdn. He supports abrdn’s global investments business to protect and enhance investment performance through integrating ESG and sustainability in all elements of the investment process via the creation and oversight of standards and market leading frameworks. Mr. Grandage represents abrdn on the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Standards Committee, plus a number of Investment Association sustainable finance working groups. He is also a board member of the UK Better Building Partnership. Mr. Grandage joined abrdn in 2013 from WSP Group where he had responsibility for the Sustainable Real Estate team delivering practical sustainability solutions for investors. Prior to that, he worked for RPS Consultants with a focus on the environmental management of corporate mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Grandage graduated with a BSc in Environmental Geology from Sheffield University, and holds an MSc from Manchester University in Urban Geoscience.

Nelson Legacion is the ninth Local Chief Executive of the City of Naga, Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region, Philippines. His leadership directions focus on making Naga a self-reliant and caring city. Mr. Legacion’s career as a public servant began when he was appointed as City Legal Officer. He successfully prosecuted expropriation cases that resulted in the distribution of residential lots to Urban Poor beneficiaries. His most important legal victory is when he successfully represented and saved the city from an ejectment case, which, if lost, could have cost hundreds of millions of pesos to the Nagueňos as payment for rental payments alone or, worst, could have resulted to the loss of the city government’s edifice and other government agencies’ offices and, subsequently, the crippling of their functions. For his accomplishments and love for Naga, Mr. Legacion was elected by the Nagueňos for two terms in the city council (2007-2010 & 2010-2013). As Councilor, he brought his life experience in the Sangguniang Panlungsod and pushed for legislation that helped uplift the socio-economic status of the destitute and underprivileged. Proving himself as an excellent legislator with a heart for the Naguenos, especially the underprivileged, he was chosen by the people to be the city’s vice mayor.

Dmitry Mariyasin is Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNECE. Earlier he was Resident Representative of UNDP in Armenia, and Regional Partnership Advisor and Team Leader in UNDP’s Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy covering Europe and CIS region. Mr. Mariyasin worked in the UNDP Regional Support Center in Bratislava, the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS in New York; and the UNDP Country Office in Moscow. He holds a PHD in Economics from Moscow State University, a Masters in Public Administration degree from New York University, as well as a degree in public administration and one in international economics.

Yousef Al Shawarbeh is Mayor of Amman, having previously served as Deputy Mayor. Previously he was the Chairman of Amman Municipal Committee and Chairman of Addustour Newspaper’s Board of Director. He served as Minister of Political Development and Parliamentary Affairs. Dr. Yousef Al Shawarbeh has held various positions on local committees, including the Investment Committee of Greater Amman Municipality; the Local Organizing Committee of FIFA’s U-17 Women’s World Cup 2016; the Decentralization Law Formulation Committee; and the Human Rights National Plan Formulation Committee. Al Shawarbeh holds a PhD in law from Sudan’s Al-Neelain University and a Bachelor degree from Jordan’s Al-Ahliyya Amman University.

Davis Mwamfupe is the mayor of Dodoma city in the United Republic of Tanzania. He holds a Ph.D. degree in urban studies from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Prior to this position, he lectured in various universities in Tanzania focusing on urbanization and population studies. His vision is to lead Dodoma into an inclusive and climate resilient city. He is a key player in pursuing nature-based solutions to address environmental challenges in the city. He is also passionately pursuing the ‘Smart Dodoma’ mission.