GORA Newsletter Issue 2, 2015
GORA Corp launches a Regional Programme for Africa
GORA Corp's Regional Programme for Africa was launched on 16th April 2015 at the Tribe Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya during a dinner event themed "Sustainable, Inclusive and Prosperous Cities in Africa". The launch, which also doubled as a bridge event between the second session of the Preparatory Committee of Habitat III and the 25th session of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat, was attended by 83 delegates and representatives from various organizations from all over the world. Participants from UN agencies, youth, women organizations, CSOs, etc. from Africa, Asia, America, Europe and Oceania came together to promote GORA Corp's mission - "the people agenda, an agenda by the people for the people".
During the launch, friendships were formulated and others cemented between GORA Corp and organizations such as UN-Habitat, UNECE, UNECA, UNEP, UNICEF, UNESCAP, UNON, Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation, Governments of India, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, European Commission Joint Research Center, Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and the University of Nairobi. The presence of UNECA at the dinner event anchored the partnership GORA Corp wishes to establish with the organization in the African region in order to turn the data revolution into real data able to guide the African Urban Agenda and the Africa Agenda 2063.
The Programme is coordinated by Dr. Omondi Odhiambo. Mr. Dennis Mwaniki is the Associate Director for Urban Planning & GIS and Ms. Wandia Riunga, who is currently on study leave at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is the Associate Director for Statistics and Monitoring. View the Programme staff profiles HERE
GORA Corp's Regional Programme for Africa was launched on 16th April 2015 at the Tribe Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya during a dinner event themed "Sustainable, Inclusive and Prosperous Cities in Africa". The launch, which also doubled as a bridge event between the second session of the Preparatory Committee of Habitat III and the 25th session of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat, was attended by 83 delegates and representatives from various organizations from all over the world. Participants from UN agencies, youth, women organizations, CSOs, etc. from Africa, Asia, America, Europe and Oceania came together to promote GORA Corp's mission - "the people agenda, an agenda by the people for the people".
During the launch, friendships were formulated and others cemented between GORA Corp and organizations such as UN-Habitat, UNECE, UNECA, UNEP, UNICEF, UNESCAP, UNON, Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation, Governments of India, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, European Commission Joint Research Center, Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and the University of Nairobi. The presence of UNECA at the dinner event anchored the partnership GORA Corp wishes to establish with the organization in the African region in order to turn the data revolution into real data able to guide the African Urban Agenda and the Africa Agenda 2063.
The Programme is coordinated by Dr. Omondi Odhiambo. Mr. Dennis Mwaniki is the Associate Director for Urban Planning & GIS and Ms. Wandia Riunga, who is currently on study leave at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is the Associate Director for Statistics and Monitoring. View the Programme staff profiles HERE
Sustainable, Inclusive and Prosperous Cities in Africa
The findings from a study of 44 African cities by GORA Corp titled "Streets as Public Spaces and Drivers of Sustainable, Inclusive and Prosperous Cities in Africa" were presented during the annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty - Linking Land Tenure and Use for Shared Prosperity held in Washington DC between 23rd and 27th March 2015.
The key finding of this study was that a majority of African cities allocate a small proportion of land to streets, between 10% and 15% in the city core against the recommended minimum of 20%. The situation is worse in the suburban areas where not only few streets exist (with less than 5% of land allocated to streets), but those that exist are narrow, unpaved and disconnected.
No city can claim to be sustainable, inclusive and prosperous when large segments of its population do not have accessa to streets. Therefore, GORA Corp is calling upon African cities to allocate sufficient land to streets to enhance infrastructure development, environmental sustainability, economic and social development and to make cities resilient so as to overcome natural disasters and other calamities. In these cities, streets are the starting point for the physical integration of slums into the formal and official systems of urban planning and city management. READ MORE
The findings from a study of 44 African cities by GORA Corp titled "Streets as Public Spaces and Drivers of Sustainable, Inclusive and Prosperous Cities in Africa" were presented during the annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty - Linking Land Tenure and Use for Shared Prosperity held in Washington DC between 23rd and 27th March 2015.
The key finding of this study was that a majority of African cities allocate a small proportion of land to streets, between 10% and 15% in the city core against the recommended minimum of 20%. The situation is worse in the suburban areas where not only few streets exist (with less than 5% of land allocated to streets), but those that exist are narrow, unpaved and disconnected.
No city can claim to be sustainable, inclusive and prosperous when large segments of its population do not have accessa to streets. Therefore, GORA Corp is calling upon African cities to allocate sufficient land to streets to enhance infrastructure development, environmental sustainability, economic and social development and to make cities resilient so as to overcome natural disasters and other calamities. In these cities, streets are the starting point for the physical integration of slums into the formal and official systems of urban planning and city management. READ MORE
OpenCities Institute launches operations in Africa
The OpenCities Institute is an initiative of GORA Corp and the Community Systems Foundation (CSF) to serve as an institutional platform of open data/data revolution/big data in a friendly integrated platform for the analysis of a wealth of information aiming to guide planning, monitoring and evaluation of urban development programmes and policies towards smart, sustainable, inclusive and prosperous cities.
GORA Corp and the CSF launched the OpenCities Institute during the 25th session of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat. The launch, which took place on 22nd April 2015 at the Laico Regency Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya coincided with GORA Corp's call for collection, analysis and dissemination of data on multiple indicators to help African cities organize their spaces in order to sustainably accommodate their rapidly growing populations and expanding spatial extents.
With the launch, GORA Corp and CSF are calling on governments, local and urban authorities, statistical bodies, policy makers and citizens to join hands and resources to promote data access to all on all areas of development. Visit the OpenCities Institute website HERE
The OpenCities Institute is an initiative of GORA Corp and the Community Systems Foundation (CSF) to serve as an institutional platform of open data/data revolution/big data in a friendly integrated platform for the analysis of a wealth of information aiming to guide planning, monitoring and evaluation of urban development programmes and policies towards smart, sustainable, inclusive and prosperous cities.
GORA Corp and the CSF launched the OpenCities Institute during the 25th session of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat. The launch, which took place on 22nd April 2015 at the Laico Regency Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya coincided with GORA Corp's call for collection, analysis and dissemination of data on multiple indicators to help African cities organize their spaces in order to sustainably accommodate their rapidly growing populations and expanding spatial extents.
With the launch, GORA Corp and CSF are calling on governments, local and urban authorities, statistical bodies, policy makers and citizens to join hands and resources to promote data access to all on all areas of development. Visit the OpenCities Institute website HERE
Results of Global Mapping of Human Settlements using Open Satellite Data disseminated in Nairobi during PrepCom2
The European Commission Joint Research Centre, GORA Corp and the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe (UNECE) organized a side event titled "New Remote Sensing of the Global Settlement" during the second session of the Preparatory Committee of Habitat III (PrepCom2).
Presentations from the three organizations centered on their collaborative work under the umbrella of the Global Human Settlement Working Group of the Group on Earth Observations (GHS-WG), namely, the remote sensing science and technology and its application in monitoring urban growth, particularly using the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data tool and specific applications in which the GHSL data has been used as tool and basis for urban planning. The event, which was attended by 55 participants, also disseminated the results of the new GHS-WG regarding the fine scale global mapping of human settlements with open satellite data.
Among the side event's key outcomes was a call for increased collaboration between various players to enhance the availability and free dissemination of spatial data for informed policies and a manifestation of intent to join the GHS-WG by various organizations from all over the globe. As the GHS-WG continues to work towards supporting Habitat III, the Post 2015 Development Agenda, the New Urban Agenda, the UN Framework Convention on Climate change and the Hyogo framework for disaster risk reduction, there was a call for increased investment in high resolution satellite imagery as a way of enhancing data quality, and particularly to be able to understand the formal - informal settlements dichotomy.
The European Commission Joint Research Centre, GORA Corp and the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe (UNECE) organized a side event titled "New Remote Sensing of the Global Settlement" during the second session of the Preparatory Committee of Habitat III (PrepCom2).
Presentations from the three organizations centered on their collaborative work under the umbrella of the Global Human Settlement Working Group of the Group on Earth Observations (GHS-WG), namely, the remote sensing science and technology and its application in monitoring urban growth, particularly using the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) data tool and specific applications in which the GHSL data has been used as tool and basis for urban planning. The event, which was attended by 55 participants, also disseminated the results of the new GHS-WG regarding the fine scale global mapping of human settlements with open satellite data.
Among the side event's key outcomes was a call for increased collaboration between various players to enhance the availability and free dissemination of spatial data for informed policies and a manifestation of intent to join the GHS-WG by various organizations from all over the globe. As the GHS-WG continues to work towards supporting Habitat III, the Post 2015 Development Agenda, the New Urban Agenda, the UN Framework Convention on Climate change and the Hyogo framework for disaster risk reduction, there was a call for increased investment in high resolution satellite imagery as a way of enhancing data quality, and particularly to be able to understand the formal - informal settlements dichotomy.
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GORA Corp signs MoU with the National Institute of Urban Affairs of the Ministry of Urban Development, India
In February 2015, GORA Corp signed an MoU with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) of the Ministry of Urban Development, India, for the establishment of observatories to assist Indian cities on the move to be smart. 
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GORA Corp signs MoU with the African Migration and Development Policy Centre (AMADPOC)
On 22nd April 2015, GORA Corp signed an MoU with AMADPOC to implement joint projects on urbanization, migration and prosperity in Africa. The MoU aims to make a connection between knowledge, decision-making and policy formulation. 
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GORA Corp signs MoU with The Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria
In May 2015, GORA Corp signed an MoU with The Federal University of Technology, Minna (Niger State), a teaching and research institution established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1983. Under this MoU, GORA Corp will work closely with the Centre for Human Settlements and Urban Development (CHSUD) on the creation of a technical and institutional platform called “Observatories” to provide reliable, up-to-date information on key urban issues, and to create conditions for smart cities within the framework of sustainability, inclusiveness and prosperity with key monitoring and performance indicators to inform urban development policies.
In May 2015, GORA Corp signed an MoU with The Federal University of Technology, Minna (Niger State), a teaching and research institution established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1983. Under this MoU, GORA Corp will work closely with the Centre for Human Settlements and Urban Development (CHSUD) on the creation of a technical and institutional platform called “Observatories” to provide reliable, up-to-date information on key urban issues, and to create conditions for smart cities within the framework of sustainability, inclusiveness and prosperity with key monitoring and performance indicators to inform urban development policies.
OpenCities Institute operationalized in India
Following the finalization of the OpenCities Institute (OCI), and in a bid to start its operationalization, GORA Corp, and Community Systems Foundation held a meeting with the Director of the National Institute of Urban Development, India on 9th April 2015 to discuss a partnership to rollout OCI's products in India. The key discussions touched on, among other things, how OCI can add value to the smart cities project, including the sustainable prosperous inclusive framework in an Indian context, and how a collaboration can result in the development of a tool-kit like product which can be used to assess progress in various sectors.
Following the finalization of the OpenCities Institute (OCI), and in a bid to start its operationalization, GORA Corp, and Community Systems Foundation held a meeting with the Director of the National Institute of Urban Development, India on 9th April 2015 to discuss a partnership to rollout OCI's products in India. The key discussions touched on, among other things, how OCI can add value to the smart cities project, including the sustainable prosperous inclusive framework in an Indian context, and how a collaboration can result in the development of a tool-kit like product which can be used to assess progress in various sectors.
Three African Cities join the “Smart Economy in Smart Cities” Project under the coordination of GORA Corp
On request by GORA Corp, three African cities, Nairobi in Kenya, Dakar in Senegal and Lagos in Nigeria were included in the Smart Economy in Smart Cities international project. The study in the three African cities is being coordinated by GORA Corp's Regional Programme for Africa and adds to a list of other cities from Canada, China, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Thailand, and USA.
In Nairobi, the study is jointly being undertaken by the Center for Urban Research and Innovations, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nairobi, the African Migration and Development Policy Centre and the School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Technical University of Kenya.
In Dakar, the study is also jointly being undertaken by Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Demographie, the University of Maryland and Consortium d’Entreprises Generale et de Services International Suarl. Similarly in Lagos, the study is jointly being undertaken by the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research and the Monitoring & Research Division, UN-Habitat.
On request by GORA Corp, three African cities, Nairobi in Kenya, Dakar in Senegal and Lagos in Nigeria were included in the Smart Economy in Smart Cities international project. The study in the three African cities is being coordinated by GORA Corp's Regional Programme for Africa and adds to a list of other cities from Canada, China, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Thailand, and USA.
In Nairobi, the study is jointly being undertaken by the Center for Urban Research and Innovations, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nairobi, the African Migration and Development Policy Centre and the School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Technical University of Kenya.
In Dakar, the study is also jointly being undertaken by Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Demographie, the University of Maryland and Consortium d’Entreprises Generale et de Services International Suarl. Similarly in Lagos, the study is jointly being undertaken by the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research and the Monitoring & Research Division, UN-Habitat.
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GORA Corp at the International Seminar on Development of Township: Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow 3-4 April 2015
In line with the policies of Uttar Pradesh State Government in India, and on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee celebrations, the Uttar Pradesh Housing & Development Board organized an International Seminar on "Development of Township" with the theme "Affordable and Sustainable Habitats". In his keynote speech titled "Planning and Designing Streets as Public Spaces for Sustainable, Inclusive and Prosperous Cities" delivered during the session "International and National experiences in Sustainable Developments", Dr. Gora Mboup used examples from various cities to highlight the importance of setting the right city foundation (particularly allocating adequate land to streets) for the attainment of sustainable habitats. READ MORE about the conference After the seminar, Dr. Gora Mboup discussed the possibility of collaboration with two key institutions, namely, the Sustainable Urbanization Institute (with Prof. Sujata S. Govada) and the International Development Group - Building Construction Authority of Singapore (with Dr. Koh Lin Ji). |
Kogi State Observatory Programme commences in Nigeria
GORA Corp will be collaborating with UN-Habitat to set up the Urban Observatory programme in Kogi State, Nigeria during the period May - October 2015. This task is a sub-component of a larger project titled "Kogi State Structure Plans Project", and will result in the development of a Regional Observatory in Kogi State, and Local Urban Observatories in four main cities - Lokoja, Kabba, Okene and Dekina.
In this collaboration, GORA Corp is responsible for initiating and institutionalizing the regional and local observatories and setting up the UrbanInfo open data platform. GORA Corp will also assist in developing indicators for tracking and monitoring various development aspects and will guide the collection, analysis and representation of data on various urban sectors for rapid policy formulation. In addition, GORA Corp will train and build the capacity of State staff members on the management of city data.
GORA Corp will be collaborating with UN-Habitat to set up the Urban Observatory programme in Kogi State, Nigeria during the period May - October 2015. This task is a sub-component of a larger project titled "Kogi State Structure Plans Project", and will result in the development of a Regional Observatory in Kogi State, and Local Urban Observatories in four main cities - Lokoja, Kabba, Okene and Dekina.
In this collaboration, GORA Corp is responsible for initiating and institutionalizing the regional and local observatories and setting up the UrbanInfo open data platform. GORA Corp will also assist in developing indicators for tracking and monitoring various development aspects and will guide the collection, analysis and representation of data on various urban sectors for rapid policy formulation. In addition, GORA Corp will train and build the capacity of State staff members on the management of city data.
GORA Corp at the Geospatial Forum: Sustainable City Foundation Index key for Smart Cities
The 2015 edition of GeoBuild Infrastructure Forum organized by Geospatial Media was held between 11th and 12th February 2015 at Hyderabad, India. The conference, themed “GeoBuild Infrastructure for Smart Cities” in acknowledgement of the importance of ‘smart cities’ initiative by the Indian Government, aimed to trace the importance of various aspects of infrastructure that needs to be planned, designed, built and operated in order to provide the ‘smart’ attribute to a city development.
In his keynote speech under the session "Sustainable Infrastructure Construction: Foundation of a Smart City", Dr. Gora Mboup emphasized the importance of setting a sustainable city foundation for the attainment of smart cities. Borrowing from GORA Corp's new index, Sustainable City Foundation Index (SCFI), the main highlight of the session was that a sustainable physical infrastructure is the key for any smart city. Read more about SCFI HERE
The 2015 edition of GeoBuild Infrastructure Forum organized by Geospatial Media was held between 11th and 12th February 2015 at Hyderabad, India. The conference, themed “GeoBuild Infrastructure for Smart Cities” in acknowledgement of the importance of ‘smart cities’ initiative by the Indian Government, aimed to trace the importance of various aspects of infrastructure that needs to be planned, designed, built and operated in order to provide the ‘smart’ attribute to a city development.
In his keynote speech under the session "Sustainable Infrastructure Construction: Foundation of a Smart City", Dr. Gora Mboup emphasized the importance of setting a sustainable city foundation for the attainment of smart cities. Borrowing from GORA Corp's new index, Sustainable City Foundation Index (SCFI), the main highlight of the session was that a sustainable physical infrastructure is the key for any smart city. Read more about SCFI HERE
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Global Land Indicators Initiative (GLII) Expert Group Meeting and "Masterclass"
The Global Land Indicators Initiative (GLII) Expert Group, which GORA Corp is a member, held an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) as a pre-event and a "Masterclass" as a post-event during the World Bank Linking Land Tenure and Use for Shared Prosperity Conference held in Washington DC. Deliberations during the EGM held on 23rd March 2015 were on the conceptual framework for global land indicators, update on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) process and implications for GLII, refinement of the long GLII list of land indicators and creation of working groups for indicator formulations, data sources and methods. Dr. Gora Mboup made a presentation on land indicators for the proposed SDGs. The “Masterclass” session "Data Collection & Measurement Strategies for Global Indicators of Land Tenure Security” was held on 27th March 2015. GORA Corp at the Global Land Forum of the International Land Coalition in Dakar, Senegal
GORA Corp participated at the Global Land Forum of the International Land Coalition on 12th to 16th May 2015 in Dakar, Senegal. Every two years, ILC members, partners and other organizations working on land rights meet at the Global Land Forum to assess emerging land issues. The 2015 Global Land Forum took place 20 years after the Brussels Conference which established the International Land Coalition. The theme of the Global Land Forum was “Land Governance for Inclusive Development, Justice and Sustainability. GORA Corp participated at the Ministerial Roundtable on land administration and governance as well as at the session on land observatory. |
GORA Corp meets Louga City Authority in Senegal for collaboration on Observatory linking Research to Action
GORA Corp and the city authorities of Louga, Senegal, met on 6th May 2015 and discussed partnership in the establishment of Observatory linking Research to Action (ORA) to support a Sustainable, Inclusive & Prosperous City (SIPC). The concept of sustainable, inclusive and prosperous city considers cities as engines of the Emerging Senegal Plan “Plan Sénégal Emergent” (PSE). Working directly with Senegalese cities as partners is made possible by the decentralization policy that put city authorities responsible for the development of their cities. The meeting in Louga is part of a series of meetings GORA Corp is planning to have in several cities of the region of Louga, including Koki, Thiamene, Ndiagne, Guet Ardo and Nguer Malal, and cities from other regions of Senegal. 
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GORA Corp meets the Director of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and attends select sessions of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) in New York, USA
On 12 March 2015, Dr. Gora Mboup held a meeting with the Director of UNSD, Mr. Stefan Schweinfest in New York, USA to discuss various issues related to the production of statistics, particularly the status of the indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr. Mboup also attended select sessions of UNSC that took place on 3th to 6th March 2015 in New York, particularly the sessions on Big data for official statistics; Governance, peace and security statistics; Statistics of human development; and Common open standards for the exchange and sharing of data and metadata. Prior to the UNSC, Dr. Mboup informally attended some sessions of the Expert Group Meeting on Indicator Framework that took place on 25th to 26th February 2015 in New York.
On 12 March 2015, Dr. Gora Mboup held a meeting with the Director of UNSD, Mr. Stefan Schweinfest in New York, USA to discuss various issues related to the production of statistics, particularly the status of the indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr. Mboup also attended select sessions of UNSC that took place on 3th to 6th March 2015 in New York, particularly the sessions on Big data for official statistics; Governance, peace and security statistics; Statistics of human development; and Common open standards for the exchange and sharing of data and metadata. Prior to the UNSC, Dr. Mboup informally attended some sessions of the Expert Group Meeting on Indicator Framework that took place on 25th to 26th February 2015 in New York.
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GORA Corp to collaborate with the Society for Development Studies
GORA Corp and the Society for Development Studies (SDS) is setting up institutional collaboration in the areas of observatories and the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals in Cities. Dr. Vinay Lal, Director General of SDS and Dr. Gora Mboup met in New York on 15th May 2015 to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding for the collaboration between SDS and GORA Corp. The collaboration will cover areas of sustainable, inclusive and prosperous cities as well as areas relevant for the CITYNET Programme (network of cities and urban authorities) that SDS is coordinating in the Asia Pacific region. |
GORA Corp is invited to partner with the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation
After the launch of GORA Corp's Regional Programme for Africa and the Open Cities Institute, GORA Corp was called upon and agreed to partner with the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation to promote open data documentation, analysis and sharing. The Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation is dedicated to open and decentralized peer-to-peer learning and cooperation. Their work include case study development, training, master classes, seminars and study tours. |
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Milestones in GORA Corp's Management and Governance
July 2014: The Global Observatory linking Research to Action (GORA) Corp was established as a not-for-profit organization in New York, USA. GORA Corp is led by a President & CEO and governed by its Articles of Incorporation and its Bylaws approved by the Board of Directors on 15th August 2014. GORA Corp is a global organization operating in all member countries of the United Nations, particularly in developing regions (Africa, Asia & Latin America and the Caribbean). September 15, 2014: GORA Corp was officially launched in New York as a pre-event to the United Nations General Assembly. March 2015: The United States Internal Revenue Service, after reviewing GORA Corp’s mission and programmes, management and financial statements among others, determined that GORA Corp is tax-exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. April 16, 2015: GORA Corp launched its first regional programme in Nairobi, Kenya for the Africa region, namely, the “Regional Programme for Africa”. |
Upcoming Workshops and Conferences
Workshop on Urbanization in Europe and the World - The first workshop on urbanization in Europe and the world hosted by the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, will be held between 27th and 29th May 2015. GORA Corp will be represented by Dr. Gora Mboup who is also a member of the steering committee of the workshop. Dr Mboup will moderate the session "Spatial Planning Guidelines". The World statistics conference 2015 - GORA Corp will participate at the 60th World Statistics Congress to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July 2015. A paper titled "The Sustainable, Inclusive and Prosperous City Index – Tool for the Development and Use of Statistics for the New Urban Agenda" will be presented by Dr. Gora Mboup at the congress’ special session “New Urban Agenda and Statistics”. |