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IsDB-GIZ WORKSHOP IN DUBAI FOCUSES ON BEST SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY AND MASS TRANSITDubai, UAE, 10 May, 2018 – For the first time in their series of workshops, experts from IsDB andDeutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have teamed up with experts from the private sector to discuss tools, technology and implementation mechanisms to develop the best climate friendly mass transit solutions for each city context. The Jeddah based Islamic Development Bank, IsDB, and GIZ hosted a two day event (9-10 May) in Dubai, UAE, bringing in 17 participants from 7 countries to focus on two priority issues namely; “lessons learnt and best practices for planning and financing Mass Transit projects in developing countries” as well as “the role of private sector in helping countries leapfrog from a very low modal share of Public Transport to equitable access to Mass Low Carbon Transit for all user groups.” The IsDB supporting this have said “We know the world is quickly urbanising, not least in large parts of Africa. The 21st century will see a world that lives more in cities than villages. With 70% of the global population is expected to live in cities in the next thirteen years, existing cities and metropolises are not necessarily prepared to accommodate a growing influx of population from the rural areas, placing extreme pressures on not just the physical infrastructure of the city such as sewage systems and hospitals but also on the softer social fabric of the city itself. As the cities continue to sprawl and grow without any direction, the need for building better and smarter cities becomes inevitable.” Since 2013, the two organisations have been cooperating in organizing regional thematic workshops across Asia, Africa and the Arab region to discuss Sustainable Mobility challenges and solutions with more than 300 country representatives from sector Ministries, City Councils or Transport institutions.The IsDB have reinforced this by addressing that challenges facing the developing world are too big to be faced by any single stakeholder, whether it be governments, the private sector, the multilateral institutions or the non-profit sector but, a combination of Public and Private institutions can do so by working together to focus funds around sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems including climate change. The urban population of the Islamic Development Bank’s 57 Member countries stood at around 863 million people in 2016, i.e. more than half of the total population. The figure is projected by the United Nations (UN) to more than double to 1,773 million people by 2050. Urban areas are meeting even more pressing and growing challenges, at the heart of which Sustainable Mobility and Transport and Climate Change. Some large cities and urban areas are gridlocked today, with very low provision of Public Transport services and unsustainable development paths, while in other regions ambitious reforms and urban transport programs are underway to tackle the challenges and put the necessary conditions for a livable and equitable future for all urban residents. Dubai is one of the most impressive examples of such successful transitions. According to Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, the share of public transport in the mobility of Dubai residents has leapfrogged from 6 percent in 2006 to 17 percent in 2017, and the plan is to achieve 20 percent by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030. Dubai is also a place for continuous technological innovations in the transport sector and an ambitious Climate Change plan. H.E. DR. Bandar M.H Hajjar has recently announced that the Islamic Development Bank Group has also established the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Infrastructure Advisory Facility that will provide support to member countries for advisory work on enabling environment and infrastructure projects. The lessons learnt from the workshop will be integrated into a joint IsDB and GIZ publication.
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