Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN)

The concentration of people and industry in urban centres of Asia and the Pacific is increasing at an unprecedented rate. By the year 2000, 14 of the world's mega-cities housing more than 10 million people, will be in the Asian-Pacific region. The growth of these cities demonstrates how economic development fuels urbanization.

Such rapid growth has a price, however. Economic growth creates massive industrial waste, pollution and environmental hazards. Moreover, as the rural poor migrate to cities in search of work and housing, slums and other signs of a deteriorating quality of life prevail in developing cities.

Though local authorities have some autonomy in managing their affairs, and have tended in the past to depend on central governments for funding, many cities have recently searched for and exchanged skills and technology for better urban planning and management. Effective urban management is best achieved through the creation of links between various urban stakeholders.Such stakeholders include cities, non governmental organisations (NGOs), and community based organisations (CBOs).

Networking, capacity-building, and benefiting from successful examples of resolved financial crisis are more relevant than ever in the current climate. Amidst economic upheavals shaking Asia, CityNet is an effective centre supporting urban management.

CityNet is the only network of its kind promoting co-operation among a whole range of urban stakeholders at the local level. Members include:

CityNet's vision is to act as a focal point and facilitator in the Asian-Pacific region. It puts this vision into practice by promoting the exchange of expertise and experiences among various stakeholders, particularly local authorities and NGOs, and expanding bilateral relationships into a multilateral network. CityNet aims for members' self-reliant development, and endeavours to make cities in the Asian- Pacific region 'people friendly':

environmentally friendly
socially just
economically productive
participatorily managed
culturally vibrant.

History of Citynet

1982 Y'LAP
The Regional Congress of Local Authorities for Development of Human Settlements in Asia and the Pacific was held in Yokohama, Japan, under the sponsorship of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the City of Yokohama. The Congress stressed the need to enhance co-operative links between local authorities for the development of human settlements and to promote partnership with other urban stakeholders. To address these issues, the Congress adopted the Yokohama Declaration which was disseminated world-wide.

1987 N'LAP
The Second Congress of Local Authorities for the Development of Human Settlements in Asia and the Pacific was organised by ESCAP in Nagoya, Japan. The Congress, focusing on local and regional co-operation for the development of shelter and communities, discussed the strengthening of institutional capacities of local authorities, as well as the role of NGOs and communities in improving urban human settlement conditions. Following the adoption of the Nagoya Declaration, the Congress established City Net.

1989 First Congress
The First General Council of CityNet was organised by ESCAP and the Shanghai Municipal Construction Commission. The meeting adopted the CityNet Charter, and the Mayor of Yokohama was elected as the first President of CityNet.

1991 Second Congress
In November, the Second Congress of CityNet was organised by ESCAP, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. The meeting elected Dato' Lakhbir Singh Chahl as Secretary-General, and the City of Seoul, Korea as the Auditor.

1992 Establishment of Secretariat
In February, the City of Yokohama became the host of the Secretariat.

1993 Third Congress
In November, the Third Congress of CityNet was organised by the CityNet Secretariat and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay, India. Dato'. Lakhbir Singh Chahl was re-elected as the Secretary-General, and the Capital Development Authority of the City of Islamabad was elected as the Auditor.

1995 Granted ECOSOC Status
In July, CityNet was granted Category II Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

1997 Fourth Congress
The Fourth CityNet Congress was organised by the Secretariat and the City of Yokohama. The Secretary-General and President were re-elected, and the City of Muntinlupa appointed Auditor.

Executive Committee

CityNet is governed by the General Council and Executive Committee, while daily administration of the network is conducted by the Secretariat.

General Council (130 members)
The General Council is the highest authority of CityNet and comprises full and associate members. It meets every four years and reviews the activities of the Network, elects the President, Vice-President, Executive Committee, Secretary General and Auditor. The General Council also approves the Medium term Plan and any amendments to the Charter.

Executive Committee (11 members)
The Executive Committee, composed of the President, two Vice-Presidents and seven members, formulates the Biennial Work Programme for the Network in accordance with the Medium Term Plan, approves new members and sets policy guidelines for the Secretariat. The Executive Committee meets at least once every two years.

Current Executive Committee Members:

President: Yokohama, Japan
Vice-President: Mumbai, India
Vice-President: Bangkok, Thailand

Members:
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Shanghai, P.R. China

Urban Community of Great Lyon, France
Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, Thailand
All India Institute of Local Self Government

Yokohama. Japan

Secretariat
The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General. It acts as the executive and co-ordinating body of CityNet. The Secretary-General reports to the General Council and the Executive Committee. The City of Yokohama has hosted the Secretariat since its establishment in February 1992.

Financial Resources

Sources of Funds
CityNet is funded by full and associate members, voluntary contributions from members, and financial support from international organisations. Operational costs are covered by membership dues and reciprocal contributions from members. Funding for Programme costs is mobilised externally, with assistance from co-operative and bilateral agencies.

Cost-sharing
Cost-sharing arrangements are usually made for activities supported by membership fees and donor-supported projects. During activities such as regional seminars, host member cities bear the local costs of participants. Members from developed countries, however, are expected to bear the full cost of taking part.

International support
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through projects such as UMPAP (Urban Management Programme for Asia and the Pacific) and LIFE (Local Initiative Facility for the Urban Environment), generously supported a large number of CityNet activities in 1996. The UNDP cited CityNet as an efficient vehicle for local authority human resource development, and for its role in the promotion of regional co-operation. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) has also funded CityNet on behalf of bilateral donors. European experts have participated in programmes through the EC-MECP (Municipal Environmental Co-operation Programme). Such collaboration with European Partners is likely to continue through the Asia-Urbs Programme. Other partners such as UMP-Asia/UNCHS, AP2000, MEIP/The World Bank, UNCRD, WHO and AIT, also contributed their technical expertise to CityNet's programmes.

Yokohama

The City of Yokohama currently hosts the Secretariat and its Mayor is the current President of CityNet. The city has, in addition to its membership fees, generously contributed towards the Network's programme and operational costs. Secretariat office space and the majority of staff salaries are also paid by Yokohama.

Activities

Institutional activities are mostly covered by CityNet's own resources, with some external support. The principal activities are:

Legislative meetings (Executive Committee, General Council)
CityVoice newsletter
Promotional activities
Information dissemination
Documentation and dissemination of urban experiences

Priority areas and the mode of operation of programme activities are decided following survey research on members' priorities. 1998-2000 priorities are:

Urban environment and health
Poverty alleviation
Municipal finance and administration
Management of infrastructure and services

Membership: There are two categories of CityNet membership: full and associate. Local authorities are eligible to be full members. Relevant NGOs, institutions and agencies within and outside the region can become associate members. Associate membership is also open to local authorities and development authorities outside the Asian-Pacific region . Membership fee scales are based on city population and national GDP.
Eligibility: Any city authority, development authority, non-governmental organisation, community-based organisation, institution or agency whose activities and goals promote the objectives of CityNet may apply for membership.
Admission: Members are admitted by approval of the Executive Committee. A duly accredited representative of your city or organisation should send an application form to the Secretary-General. Please also send supporting material, such as brochures with background information on your city or organisation.
Membership Fees: Full membership fees are calculated using the national GDP and the city population. Please contact the Secretariat for further information or to know what your organisation's annual subscription fee would be.

For the Member list

For more information please contact:
Secretary General: CityNet Secretariat 5F, International Organisations Centre Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minato-Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220-0012, Japan Telephone: (81-45) 223-2161 Fax: (81-45) 223-2162 E-Mail: info@citynet-ap.org