Arab Hoballah serves as UNEP Chief of Sustainable Lifestyles, Cities and Industry, for Delivering SCP, as from January 2015; since October 2005, he was Chief of Sustainable Consumption and Production/SCP. Among other responsibilities, he looks for mainstreaming Resource Efficiency and SCP policies at all levels, in particular through responsible industry and cities management. He has launched and supervises various Initiatives and Partnerships (buildings, tourism, cities). Arab has coordinated the preparation and is actually supervising the implementation of the only operational issue that was explicitly adopted in “The Future We Want” at Rio+20, the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on SCP;
Prior to this post, he spent 14 years working in the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan, leading various programmes; including Commissions for Sustainable Development Before, he worked for several development institutions in developing countries.
Arab Hoballah holds a MSc in Economic Tools and Prospective Analysis, a MSc in Law and International Relations and a PhD in Economic Development from the University of Paris, France.
Presentation Title
Resilient Cities and Lifestyles: Circular Resource Use
Abstract
No sustainable development if not at city level; this increasingly accepted statement requires however enabling conditions. As the functioning and well-being of the world’s cities relies on significant supplies of natural resources, increasing resource inefficiencies, scarcity and degradation threaten to constrain the future growth and sustainable development of cities. Cities will need to actively and efficiently manage their resources if they are to ensure dynamic economies, have healthy population and sustainable lifestyles and remain competitive. Cities should become the dynamic hubs toward an integrated approach to environmental, social and economic sustainability, in particular by driving local and national development while increasing efficiency and reducing impact on environment. With expected exponential demand for consumption products and construction material to respond to the needs of a growing urbanized population, cities will have to reduce the “import” of resources and limit the “export” of emissions, while mainstreaming circular economy, hence increasing resilience to climate change and resource dependency.