Canada - World Bank Memorandum of Understanding

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This Memorandum of Understanding made as of June 21, 2006

Preamble

The Government of Canada and the World Bank recognize that cities and communities around the world have a critical role to play in the long-term social and economic development of nations as well as the quality of life of their citizens.

The challenges and opportunities facing cities and communities are complex and are intricately entwined with social, economic, environmental, financial, technical and cultural issues.

Cities and communities are dynamic, evolving and at different stages of development, with challenges and opportunities that are different over time and by size and location.

The Government of Canada and the World Bank wish to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to support sustainable development objectives and to make a transformative difference in the sustainability and future prosperity of cities and communities.

1. Purpose of Memorandum of Understanding

The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to outline an understanding between the Parties and their respective roles and future work to help foster vibrant, creative, prosperous and sustainable cities and communities, and to develop an integrated approach for cities and communities performance measurement.

The World Bank study to develop city performance indicators will take into consideration the need to:

• factor the dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social, cultural and environmental) into the development of city performance indicators;
• ensure a broad range of consultations with governments, municipal associations, academics, city staff and citizens;
• consider short, medium and long-term objectives and outcomes, risks and constraints and develop appropriate indicators against which progress can be measured;
• monitor and evaluate development interventions; and
• disseminate and share information and knowledge, including lessons from past experiences and best practices, both domestically and internationally.

2. Outcomes and Roles

Collaboration between the Parties will support the following activities and objectives:

• Over the next 24 months, the Government of Canada intends to participate in the World Bank "study to assist cities to develop an integrated approach for measuring and monitoring city performance", which has been funded by the Government of Japan.
  
  
• The Government of Canada and the World Bank intend to foster a collaborative and integrated approach to the city indicator development and help ensure that the draft indicators are relevant, credible and applicable to the piloted cities and communities.
  
  
• Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Government of Canada, intends to coordinate and facilitate discussions and partnerships with other federal departments, other levels of government, municipal associations, academics and citizens to develop a draft set of city performance indicators that are consistent with the goals of the World Bank study.
  
  
• The cities of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal have been approached, and the Canadian Standards Association, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and various academic institutions have already agreed to provide assistance to the work by the World Bank. In particular, the work of the FCM in developing quality of life indicators will be very relevant to this study. The FCM has indicated that it will focus the work of its team to support all elements of this project and to promote this project among its members and to all municipalities across the country.
  
  
• Statistics Canada's work on trends and conditions in Census Metropolitan Areas and their upcoming paper, "Canada's global cities: Socio-economic conditions in Montreal, Toronto and Montreal", will be a valuable contribution.
  
  
• Infrastructure and Communities intends to host a workshop in Canada and invite other parties to support the development of city indicators and to review progress on the indicators. Infrastructure and Communities may also participate in other workshops in Washington and the piloted cities.
  
  
• Where appropriate and feasible, Infrastructure and Communities will work with others to facilitate and support data collection and analysis, further data development to address gaps, and research by Canadian academics on city and community indicators and related policy issues.
  
  
• The draft city performance indicators would be presented at the next World Urban Forum in Nanjing, China in 2008. The draft will include the methodology proposed for the collection of data, preparation of indicators, quality control and applied results generated in the pilot cities.
  
  
• Infrastructure and Communities intends to work with the World Bank to inform other interested parties such as other countries, the World Economic Forum, UN Habitat, OECD, and additional pilot cities.
  
  
• The World Bank will select through open competition the successful firm which will lead the study of city performance indicators, assist the firm in carrying out its work, and make available relevant project data and reports. In addition, the Bank will organize or participate in workshops in Washington and piloted cities to develop and review progress of the indicator work. At the World Urban Forum meeting in June 2006, the World Bank will host a networking event on indicators where it will present a paper and engage various speakers. The Bank, together with Infrastructure and Communities intends to ensure the widest participation in the review of the study and ensure that other critical work, such as UN Habitat, and the Asian Development Bank, is included.

SIGNATURES