Munich, Germany – Siemens and the Siemens Stiftung will be partners in the World Urban Campaign (WUC) of the UN-HABITAT program, the United Nation’s agency for housing and sustainable urban development. A framework agreement to this effect was signed today at the World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro. The program UN-HABITAT brings together representatives of cities, government agencies, the private sector and nongovernment organizations with the aim of working on solutions for the cities of the future. The agreement will initially be in effect for three years.
“In Siemens, we are pleased to have a partner who already today is helping drive more sustainable development by providing innovative technologies and the necessary understanding of cities’ requirements,” notes Nicolas You, who is responsible for UN-HABITAT’s World Urban Campaign. Siemens will initially provide the campaign with experts in fields relating to various infrastructure challenges. In addition, joint projects are planned. The Siemens Stiftung will be active in the areas of education, basic infrastructure solutions and help for self-help.
Megacities around the globe are presenting humankind with growing problems. Today, more than half of the world’s population already lives in cities, and this figure is expected to reach 70 percent by 2050. These people need drinking water and clean air as well as efficient healthcare and transportation infrastructures.
Siemens can make a decisive contribution here. No other company has a similarly broad portfolio for meeting the needs of sustainable cities: from mass transit and mainline rail transportation systems to energy-efficient buildings and energy-saving lighting to power generation and water treatment.
