As I assume my responsibilities for directing the ICMA CityLinks Leader with Associate cooperative agreement funded by USAID, it is important to step back and reflect on the growing role of cities in addressing the development challenges countries currently face and can be expected to confront in the future. With the world now predominately urban, we are seeing dramatic changes in the social, economic and political make-up of countries. Some of the factors behind this transformation are climate change, growing concerns over food security, and promoting general and infant/child health through potable water and sanitation services.

When I was Deputy Mission Director for USAID/Honduras, I saw firsthand how natural disasters often associated with climate change can put people at high risk, and the important role of local government in mitigating those risks and building resiliency of vulnerable populations. When Hurricane Mitch hit in late 1998, many poor households lost their homes, their livelihoods, and became more vulnerable as their access to adequate, affordable food, and clean water and sanitation declined precipitously.

Although Honduras is a predominately rural country, USAID understood the importance of working with local governments to help improve their capacity to provide emergency relief and lay the foundation for longer-term resiliency by addressing land use, infrastructure services, and disaster preparedness and mitigation problems that exacerbated the effects of the hurricane on the poor. What we have learned from cases such as Honduras is that cities generate a disproportionate share of GDP relative to their population, and increased urbanization will only further concentrate GDP in cities and towns. Cities generate the bulk of greenhouse gases, and their expanding land area will continue to infringe on agricultural lands, with concomitant impacts on food security. On the other hand, the backward and forward linkages between cities and market towns with their surrounding rural and agricultural hinterlands increase the potential for synergies between urban and rural development, and opportunities to develop programs that can build resiliency among vulnerable populations.

ICMA members understand how local government decisions regarding land use, zoning, infrastructure investment, as well as business regulations affect the ability of cities to confront the challenges of climate change, and the health and wellbeing of its population. That is why with our new CityLinks program, ICMA members will offer pro bono their unique capabilities that can help cities in developing countries to become more resilient by building their capacity to confront the challenges of climate change, food security and urban services. By enhancing the role of cities in programs designed to affect these sectors alone or through related development programs, the lives of most vulnerable will be improved, bringing benefits not only to those living in cities and towns, but also to those living in the surrounding rural and agricultural areas.

We look forward to working with USAID Missions and our ICMA members to enhance their climate change, food security, and water and sanitation service goals and objectives. If you have a question or are interested in learning more about the CityLinks program, please contact me jlombardo@icma.org. Or you can visit our new CityLinks website Learn more about ICMA’s international programs here.