Originally hosted at: http://acuns.org/current-issues-61-global-compact-cities-programme/

In this edition of ACUNS’ Current Issues podcast series, host Alistair Edgar is joined by Michael Nolan, chair of the Global Compact Cities Programme. Established in 2003, this “urban arm of the United Nations Global Compact” encourages collaboration between the public and private sectors to help address complex urban challenges. Speaking about the Melbourne Model and examples of cross-sectoral collaboration, Nolan emphasises the importance of collaboration for furthering sustainability. Although collaboration can benefit both groups—and works best when it builds trust between the sectors—Nolan acknowledges that one of the challenges of the programme is addressing the distrust that each group may bring to the table. In spite of these challenges, examples from the programme demonstrate some of the key benefits of this approach.