This BBL focuses on Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD), an emerging new area of engagement in ECA that addresses the special needs of this sub-set of “lagging regions” by bringing together Urban, Rural and DRM dimensions/themes, to ultimately enhance the development outcomes of interventions and policies for these fragile areas.
Understanding how sustainable development applies specifically to mountainous regions and their human settlements is a critical aspect for local development in ECA, a region with a high proportion of mountainous areas. Kyrgyz Republic, for example, is 90% mountainous and more than 50% of the territory in the Balkans is composed by mountains. Innovative best practices and policies for local development need to be considered in order to prioritize interventions to foster a more vibrant economy in these regions, strengthening and leveraging the unique synergies that traditionally link human settlements and rural areas in mountainous regions.
Unfortunately, there is little systematic knowledge and evidence of effective policies and tools for sustainable mountain development. Countries in ECA are mostly focusing on attempting to supply these remote regions with basic infrastructure and possibly combine these with subsidies and other mechanisms in the attempt to retain young people, while mostly neglecting the importance to support and enhance the economic base and local growth of these areas building on sectors, such as eco-tourism, that have higher potential to leverage the assets of these regions generating multiplier effects. In addition, carpet-policies for regional development tend to neglect the special alpine environment and risks to climate change and natural disasters. A recent forest wildfire in Georgia hit the country severely, highlighting how little prepared the responsible agencies were in the wake of these unprecedented climate-related events, when only one helicopter was available to extinguish the fire and international help had to be mobilized to stop it from spreading.
This BBL will describe also how countries like Georgia and Uzbekistan came together to learn from each other and from best practice from the Alpine regions of Austria and Italy, and how this unique experience is shaping an innovative program and policy dialogue in both Georgia and Uzbekistan, with potential for replication in other countries of the region, like Albania and Montenegro.
Opening Remarks:
Guenther Schoenleitner, Alternate Executive Director, Austria
Calendar » GSU09 BBL SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT, bringing the Urban, Rural and DRM agenda together
GSU09 BBL SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT, bringing the Urban, Rural and DRM agenda together
GSU09 BBL
SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT
bringing the Urban, Rural and DRM agenda together
Thursday, November 09, 2017 | 12.30 - 2.00 P.M. | MC 8-736
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Light lunch will be provided
This BBL focuses on Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD), an emerging new area of engagement in ECA that addresses the special needs of this sub-set of “lagging regions” by bringing together Urban, Rural and DRM dimensions/themes, to ultimately enhance the development outcomes of interventions and policies for these fragile areas.
Understanding how sustainable development applies specifically to mountainous regions and their human settlements is a critical aspect for local development in ECA, a region with a high proportion of mountainous areas. Kyrgyz Republic, for example, is 90% mountainous and more than 50% of the territory in the Balkans is composed by mountains. Innovative best practices and policies for local development need to be considered in order to prioritize interventions to foster a more vibrant economy in these regions, strengthening and leveraging the unique synergies that traditionally link human settlements and rural areas in mountainous regions.
Unfortunately, there is little systematic knowledge and evidence of effective policies and tools for sustainable mountain development. Countries in ECA are mostly focusing on attempting to supply these remote regions with basic infrastructure and possibly combine these with subsidies and other mechanisms in the attempt to retain young people, while mostly neglecting the importance to support and enhance the economic base and local growth of these areas building on sectors, such as eco-tourism, that have higher potential to leverage the assets of these regions generating multiplier effects. In addition, carpet-policies for regional development tend to neglect the special alpine environment and risks to climate change and natural disasters. A recent forest wildfire in Georgia hit the country severely, highlighting how little prepared the responsible agencies were in the wake of these unprecedented climate-related events, when only one helicopter was available to extinguish the fire and international help had to be mobilized to stop it from spreading.
This BBL will describe also how countries like Georgia and Uzbekistan came together to learn from each other and from best practice from the Alpine regions of Austria and Italy, and how this unique experience is shaping an innovative program and policy dialogue in both Georgia and Uzbekistan, with potential for replication in other countries of the region, like Albania and Montenegro.
Opening Remarks:
Guenther Schoenleitner, Alternate Executive Director, Austria
Alanna Simpson, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Urban and DRM ECA, GSURR
Presenters:
Michael Raffling, Senior Tourism Expert, Consultant, World Bank
Ketevan Nozadze, Operations Officer, World Bank
Discussants:
Rosanna Nitti, Senior Urban Specialist, GSURR
Soraya Goga, Lead Urban Specialist, GSURR
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Meeting number: 859 733 992
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