"Role of Urban Governance in Time of Pandemic" Dr. Remy Sietchiping, Chief Policy, Legislation and Governance Section at UN- Habitat, Kenya 10th African Regional RCE Meeting 1 & 15 September, 2020

1. ROLE OFURBAN GOVERNANCE
in Time of Pandemic
Remy Sietchiping
ChiefofthePolicy,Legislationand GovernanceSectionatUN-Habitat
remy.sietchiping@un.org
1 September 2020.
10thAfricanRCEConference:
'Community-BasedResilienceduringPandemicDisruption: TheRoleofAfricanRCEs'.

2. Role of Urban Governancein the Time of Pandemic
-Overview
1. Cities and Covid-19Pandemic.
2. Challenges of COVID-19crisis to governancesystems and mechanisms.
3. UN-HabitatResponse: Policy, Governanceand Legislation.
4. UN-HabitatResponse: World Report on Cities and Covid-19.
5. UN-HabitatResponse: Tools development.

3. Cities and Covid-19 Pandemic
1.

4. Cities and Covid-19 Pandemic
As 90% of Covid-19 Casesare in urban
settlements, localauthorities and their
partners are in the front line for first
response,management and recovery

5. Cities and Covid-19 Pandemic
• From the earliest accounts of history, societies have had an interest in ensuring public health in the cities where
populations concentrated (e.g. John Snow and GIS).
• Governing bodies and the citizens themselves developed a variety of measures to ensure control and preparedness to
health disasters based on lessons learned.
• These practices spanned from spatial restrictions, separating hazardous activities from concentration of populations,
isolations of infected members of society, forms of quarantine to cross-border movements, and facilitating access to
remedies, such as specialized markets.
• Procedures such as manuals and instructions were recorded and enacted, and authorities and institutions established
and we can find lessons of from antiquity, the Middle ages, 19th century, 1920ties and the post-WWII years.

6. Challenges ofCOVID-19 crisis to
governancesystems and mechanisms2.

7. Challenges of COVID-19 crisis to governance systems and mechanisms
• Variousrestrictionsin differentdegrees ofseverity havebeen introducedbymost ofthegovernments thatwereexpectedto
slow downthe contagionrate.
• It is importantto recognizethatmeasures ofresponsecanbeintroducedindependentlyfromthe systemofgovernance, i.e.
social distancingcanbeappliedbothbyadictatorshipanda democracy,bya centralizedandbyadecentralizedgovernance
system.
• Effectivenessof anymeasuretakendoesnotdirectlydependof agovernancesystem – in anarrowsense,a resourceful
dictatorshipor centralizedsystemcan oftenapplyunpopularmeasuresmoreefficiently.Sameapplies toexisting andnewly
introducedgovernancecoordinationmechanismsto respondtothe crisis.

8. The challenges of COVID-19 crisis to governance systems and mechanisms
Key questions:
 Whatmakesgovernanceeffective in thecontextofcovid-19response?How do weassessthe effectivenessof themeasures
taken?
 Is it onlythe publichealthimpactthatqualifiesaneffectivegovernanceapproach?Thehealthimpactmight beinfluenced by
otherfactorssuchas ageofthe population,internationalconnectivity,qualityofthe publichealthsystem etc.
 Is theeffectivenessof theresponsetotheCovid-19emergency depending onthe level of coordinationandcooperation
between thedifferentactorsinvolved orit alsodepends onthe activeparticipationofcivil society?
 Is therespect offundamentalprinciplesofdemocracy,rule oflawandhumanrightscrucial fortheeffectiveresponseto
Covid-19orthe epidemiology emergency justifieslimitations?

9. UN-Habitat Response: Policy, Governance
and Legislation.3.

10. • At the global level, UN-Habitat is helping authorities at different levels to identify successful policy, legal and
governance measures and approaches to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in cities, towns and communities
and informal settlements so that the most vulnerable are protected.
• This will require measures that are tailored to different types of situations so that all urban actors
including service providers, communities, civil society organizations and the private sector can work in
a coordinated and integrated way to limit infections and respond to the crisis.
UN-Habitat Response
Policy, Governance and Legislation

11. UN-Habitat Response
Policy, Governance and Legislation
URBAN-RURAL LINKAGES
Urban-RuralLinkagesinthetimeofCOVID-19WebinarSeries:
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UN-Habitat aims to exchange information and learn from the efforts of different actors to overcome this crisis and enhance post-crisis
recoveryactionsbybringingafocustourban-rurallinkagesandintegratedterritorialapproaches.
GOVERNANCE
Healthand EquitythroughMulti-LevelGovernance:
UN-HabitatisdevelopingaGuide whichaimstoprovidenationalgovernments,localauthorities,policy makersandotherinterestedactors,a soundtoolforimprovinghealth
equitythroughmulti-levelgovernance.
NATIONAL URBAN POLICIES
NationalUrbanPolicyProgrammeDemonstrationProjectswithCOVID-19Response:
o NigerState,Nigeria– ProvisionofmeteredsolarboreholetoaGeneralHospital.
o Myanmar– EmergencyresponsetocombatCOVID-19ininformalsettlements.

12. UN-Habitat Response: World Report onCities
and Covid-19.4.

13. UN-Habitat Response
World Report on Cities and Covid-19
Analysingpolicymeasures, governance structures andregulations:
1. Citiesdesign andimplement policiesandactionswithsupportfromandin coordinationwithothertiersofgovernment,
neighboring citiesandtowns.
2. Citiesdesign andimplement policiesandactionswithoutsupportorcoordinationfromothertiersofgovernment.
3. Citiesimplement policiesandactionsdefinedbyothertiersofgovernment.
4. Citiesreceive new responsibilitiesfromotherlevels ofgovernments todeal withthe pandemic.
5. Citiesaredeprived ofpre-existingresponsibilitiesfromotherlevels of governments becauseofthe pandemic.

14. UN-Habitat Response
World Report on Cities and Covid-19
Analysingpolicymeasures, governance structures andregulations:
6. Citiesusepre-existing governancemechanismstomanageandrespondtothe crisis.
7. Citiescreatenew governancemechanismstomanageandrespondtothe crisisandtoallow forpublic participationand
local democracyduring thepandemic.
8. Citiesshouldenactlegislation andregulationstoenhancetransparency,oversight andaccountabilitywith clearmessages,
implementable anddesigned in a waythatencouragescompliance.
9. Citiesassess theimpact ofpoliciesandlegislation tomanageandrespondtothe crisisespecially on vulnerable
populationsandhumanrights.
10. Citiesenhancetheflexibility in theirregulatoryframeworksandadministrativeproceduresonprocurement,landusefor
emergency actions,etc.

15. UN-Habitat Response: Tools
development5.

16. TOOL EXAMPLE 1:
Practical Checklistfor Local Authorities to Support the Management of the Covid-19
Pandemic
Purpose, target audience and scope
Strengthening preparedness forCOVID-19 in cities
(1) ComplementingtheCOVID-19strategicpreparednessandresponseplan(SPRP).
(2) Elaboratesandexpandsonrecommendedactionsaslistedintheinterimguidanceandprovideslocalauthorities,
leadersandpolicy-makersin citieswithaTOOL(checklist)toenhancepreparednessfortheCOVID-19pandemic
andbeyond.
(3) Itisneitherprescriptivenorexhaustiveandshould beadaptedtonationalregulatoryframeworks,the
competencesofsubnationalactors,andlocal social,culturalandeconomic contexts.
(4) Thechecklistisnotintendedtoreplaceotherguidanceandplansbuttocomplementthembyhelpinglocal
authoritiesensurethatkeyareashavebeencovered.
UN-HabitatsupportedWHOinthedevelopmentofboththeguidancenotesandachecklist.

17. Checklist: Conceptual Framework
The
Domains

18. Checklist: BasicStructure

19. Checklist: Actions

20. TOOL EXAMPLE 2: MTR-GAF
Metropolitan, Territorial and Regional Governance Assessment Framework
PURPOSE
To providea qualitative methodology forassessing andimprovinggovernance at
metropolitan andregional scales.
METHODOLOGICALAPPROACH
 Analytical approach rather than normative/prescriptive.
 Qualitative tool.
 Informed by international case studies.
 Templates forassessing governance included.

21. MTR-GAF:The Framework
GOVERNANCEDIMENSIONS GOVERNANCEFACTORS
InstitutionalSolutions
(institutionaldimension)
FormalArrangements InformalArrangements
Decision-Making
(politicaldimension)
GoverningBodies KnowledgeManagement
CollectiveAction
(instrumentaldimension)
AdministrativeActs DevelopmentVisions
FinalDraftavailablein
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kAJsZSaFl0RZa0z5NGQKaicXTpXuacXJ/view?usp=sharing
innovative elementsfrequent factors

22. MTR-GAF:Two-Steps Assessment Tool

23. MTR-GAF:Policy Recommendations
INSTITUTIONAL DIMENSION
o Promotemulti-levelgovernancebasedonverticaland horizontalinstitutionalcoordination.
o Facilitatesubsidiarityandautonomyformanagingmetropolitanandregionalaffairs.
o Useinstitutionalsolutionsforaddressingterritorialneedsexpressedby citizensandlocal governments.
POLITICAL DIMENSION
o Achievelocal governmentsrepresentationandterritorialpowerequivalenceatmetropolitan/regional/supramunicipalgoverning body(ies).
o Increasetransparencyindecision-makingandinclude post-factoscrutiny.
o Basedecision-makingonevidence andimplementknowledgemanagementmechanisms.
INSTRUMENTAL DIMENSION
o Applylegalforceforbindingagreementsand administrativeacts.
o Includedevelopmentvisionsindecision-making,territorialmanagementinstrumentsandadministrativeacts.

24. TOOL EXAMPLE 3: GOVERNANCEFRAMEWORKFOR URBANMIGRATION
Inclusive Cities: Enhancingthe Positive Impact of Urban Migration
METHOD &APPROACH
REGULATORYFOUNDATIONS
• Global CompactonMigration
• Global CompactforRefugees
• NewUrbanAgenda.
• SustainableDevelopmentAgenda
PURPOSE
todelivera normative governance tool for the
inclusion of migrants in urban development.
• Flagship Programme 4. Outcome 2
Strengthened capacity oflocal authorities for
advancing inclusive cities, benefitting both
host andmigrant communities
CONTENT BASES
• Territorialapproach tointernational frameworks
• Identifies the working dimensions andproposes
a system
• Links migrant andhost communities
• Reports with case studies
• Proposes policy andlegislation actions.

25. Migrants and mobility in the time of Covid19
Capacityof cities andhost communities
 Improvethe capacity ofcities to
accommodate migrantssuch as
displaced persons andrefugees.
 Promote the development of capacities
ofgovernment andits institutions,
migrantsandhost community to
include migrantsandpromote the
transfer of knowledge between cities of
originandhost communities and
protect the rights of migrants.
Rights of migrants
 Urbanpolicy instruments andnormative
frameworks to guarantee the rights of migrants
andthe host community
 Respond tothe needs ofmigrantswho arein a
vulnerable situation in urbanareas.
 Give greater predictability andcertainty about
the migratoryprocess tothe urban community.
 Establish frameworks tosupport migrants in
transit, and those returning totheir place of
origin.
Inclusion approachof migration
 Optimise the positive effects of urban
migration, taking advantage of its social,
economic andcultural contributions.
 Integrate in urban planning and policies the
approach ofwelcoming andinclusion
migrants
 strengthening the link in the ruralurban
continuum andthe transnational borders
that guarantees the rights of migrants

26. Governancesystem
OUTCOME:
Inclusive Cities that take advantage ofsocial, economic and
cultural contributions ofthe migrant population

27. Selected Relevant Governance and Health publications

28. Policy,Legislation and
GovernanceSection-PLGS
MOREINFORMATION:
www.urbanpolicyplatform.org
www.unhabitat.org