Newsletter «Zurich (Inter)national»

In early February 2023, a visit by experts from Zurich took place in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. The members of both city administrations, together with the implementation partner UN Habitat Lebanon, discussed the current status of the planned activities such as the promotion of the bike rental system and the introduction of a Park & Ride concept.

In a workshop with the participation of local civil society, it was decided to set up a digital tech hub / co-working space in Tyre -– «DigiTyre» – to provide the younger population with better employment opportunities in the digital economy. The City of Zurich will support the development as part of the city-to-city cooperation and connect the city of Tyre with experienced Zurich organisations.

On February 2, 2023, the members of the City Council met with representatives from the executives of the Glattal municipalities. Together they visited the exhibition «Ways of Art» at the Museum Rietberg. Following the visit, those present exchanged views on topics such as joint water supply and the development of the new city district on Thurgauerstrasse, which is being built in the immediate vicinity of the Glattal municipalities

The City of Zurich has been supporting Swiss NGOs in the field of international cooperation since 1972, contributing to the goal of global sustainable development and poverty reduction. Since 2021, the responsibility for International Cooperation (IZA) lies with the Office for Urban Development. Within the framework of public tenders, the City of Zurich awards project contributions amounting to around 3.7 million Swiss francs per year. In order to make the entire award process more efficient and user-friendly, the submission and processing of applications will now take place completely digitally.

This exhibition dares to change perspectives. It features impressive masterpieces and a series of short films. The small but economically influential religious group, has a worldwide presence and yet is little known outside of India. The exhibition also explores how this vibrant tradition, with its long, diverse history, can contribute to addressing the challenges facing humanity - climate change, over-consumption, ethnic and religious intolerance and social inequality. The exhibition game «And You? The Game of Questions» invites visitors to engage in new ideas and debates, and to think together with other visitors about what a sustainable life can look like. Together with the web-based app, the game can also be played at home.

At this year's World Economic Forum (WEF), global challenges such as the energy crisis and climate change were on the agenda. Many governments and companies have recognized that the circular economy is an important part of the solution to reduce environmental pollution worldwide. Zurich was the first Swiss city to recognize the potential of the circular economy and adopted the «Circular Zurich» strategy in 2022.

Representing the City of Zurich, Sonja Gehrig, an expert on circular economy, spoke on the topic at the WEF in the Sustainability Pavilion. Together with the other panelists, she looked into the future and showed what the City of Zurich is already doing to protect the climate and natural resources, and how the city can be both a role model and an innovator.