Overview of sessions at the 2016 Stockholm Security Conference on Secure Cities

Transcription

1 STOCKHOLM SECURITY CONFERENCE SECURE CITIES SEPTEMBER Overview of sessions at the 2016 Stockholm Security Conference on Secure Cities September 2016 Artipelag, Stockholm, Sweden

2 stockholm security conference on secure cities 1. MAKING CITIES INCLUSIVE, SAFE, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE: IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 11 When the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in September 2015 officially came into force on 1 January 2016, they included an important innovation. The 17 SDGs included one SDG 11 specifically focused on cities. The United Nations has taken an important step forward by including perspectives from cities and urban areas in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but collecting the data on indicators developed by the United Nations to measure SDG 11 implementation will be a formidable challenge. Where the data can be collected, it may not be because the information could be highly sensitive in the context of given cities. The purpose of this session is to review the implementation of SDG 11, including the methods used to measure whether or not progress is made, as well as the supplementary contributions that cities, researchers and civil society can make to meeting the objectives laid down in SDG 11. How are states putting into practice the responsibilities they agreed in SDG 11? How are cities incorporated into national SDG reporting? How can contributions from the academic, non-governmental and private sectors supplement the data collection efforts of states? How can new methodologies based on measuring social cohesion be included in the assessment of SDG 11 implementation? How can modern information and communication technologies be applied to measure SDG 11 implementation?

3 session overviews 3 2. GENDER, RESOURCES AND VIOLENCE Resource allocation, housing availability and service provision in fields such as transportation, electricity, water and sanitation can be sources of tension within urban communities if there is a perception that decisions are unfair or that they are one-sided, in support of particular groups. Where cities expand in an informal and unplanned way, access to land may also be a cause of friction and a factor contributing to urban violence. Recent studies by the World Bank and the United Nations suggest that women benefit less from urbanization and urban spaces than men, but that women want to play a full part in both tenure (ownership of land and property) and rights (what can be done on land and with property). Therefore, equal participation in decision-making in both the legal and policy fields is one objective in a number of significant urban initiatives. However, there has been relatively little systematic analysis of gender dimensions of the intersection between unequal access to resources, urban poverty and violence. This session will examine the gender aspects of resource allocation from a number of different perspectives, including access to decision-making processes, the inclusion of the gender perspective into urban planning and the implications of alternative approaches to reduce urban unrest and urban violence. To what extent has gender been identified as a factor in urban violence? What examples exist of integrated legal, policy and practical frameworks to reduce urban violence? What role does gender play within such frameworks? How can a gender perspective be applied in informal urban settlements?

4 stockholm security conference on secure cities 3. POLICE STRATEGIES, TECHNOLOGIES AND INSTRUMENTS Faced with urban security problems, police forces are investigating new strategies and making use of new instruments to increase effectiveness and make the best use of limited resources. Strategies such as predictive policing are being explored to prevent crime or make investigation efforts more effective. The use of cameras and sensors including body cameras, connected vehicles and drones is becoming more widespread. To achieve better strategic and tactical intelligence, large quantities of data are being generated and applied using new software and novel analytical techniques. The purpose of this session is to facilitate a discussion of current thinking about how technology is changing the role of police forces and thinking about the most effective forms of policing including the interactions between police forces and a wide range of other actors. What types of technology are favoured by modern police forces? What is the right balance between approaches that emphasize technology and other forms of policing? How can technology be used most effectively? Is there evidence that technology-led approaches lead to tangible results? How do local communities react to the use of new technologies, including those that can be applied from a distance?

5 session overviews 5 4. STRENGTHENING RESILIENCE OF VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES When a city suffers a natural or human-made shock, the impact is unlikely to be felt evenly among citizens and across different neighbourhoods. There are likely to be some groups that are better protected from the direct impact of the shock, that are better equipped to cope with the consequences, and also more likely to make a recovery within a short space of time. Vulnerable communities may be those in the close proximity or direct pathway of an event, those that lack their own resources and coping strategies, and those that are allocated a lower priority by decision-makers, or even excluded entirely from public protection. This session will examine how resilience can be designed in ways that better prepare vulnerable communities, provide them with coping measures when a shock occurs, and facilitate recovery. How can inter-municipal support and cooperation facilitate recovery? What responsibilities lie at local, regional and national level in developing an integrated strategy to promote resilience? What are the most effective ways of building resilience into systems for transportation, energy, communications and housing? How do shocks impact on the municipalities and communities that depend on cities? How can a system meet the needs of communities that depend on a city that suffers major disruption?

6 stockholm security conference on secure cities 5. URBAN UNREST IN MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES Across Europe cases of rioting in major cities are relatively frequent. Europe has also experienced a significant number of major political manifestations and demonstrations, some of which have been peaceful and some of which have provided the occasion for violent disorder. The explanations for urban unrest include the real or perceived exclusion and disenfranchisement of certain communities, the nexus of inequality, deprivation and lack of opportunity, the fragmentation of communities along ethnic, religious or sectarian lines, and inappropriate or provocative policing. This session will explore some of the explanations for urban unrest, and assess the ways and means of building down the risk that it will occur now and in the future. The session will examine the mix of short- and long-term policies and programmes that have been applied to reduce risk, and their effectiveness. Are segregated communities more likely to experience urban unrest? Is there a connection between the demographic composition of a city and urban unrest? How have municipal and other authorities responded to cases of urban unrest? Which of the ways and means of reducing urban unrest that have been applied offer the greatest success?

7 session overviews 7 6. PLANNING FOR A VOLATILE FUTURE The pace with which cities are growing is extremely rapid in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia. The movement into cities is often unplanned and uneven with periods of rapid expansion and periods of less rapid growth. Where they grow rapidly, cities are less likely to be compact and integrated spaces, and more likely to become an urban sprawl. Inclusive approaches that do not depend exclusively on government initiatives may be one way of designing and planning urban development in ways that meet the needs of residents. Harvesting the views and skills of the urban population may be empower political decision makers and facilitate the legal and administrative processes necessary to achieve change. This session will examine how inclusive partnerships can help achieve change in urban planning. What methodologies are there for estimating the growth in demand for different services and utilities? How well adapted are these methodologies for fragile and volatile settings? What examples exist of inclusive projects for urban development? Is it possible to design integrated solutions to urban problems in fragile and volatile conditions?

8 stockholm security conference on secure cities 7. ICT PRIVACY AND SECURITY Urban living is increasingly driven by information and communication technology, combined with advanced computing. As digital technology becomes ever more ubiquitous, municipal and other local authorities will harvest and mine growing amounts of digital data as they seek to improve the efficiency of service delivery in cities. Increasing amounts of data also will be generated through digital peer-to-peer transactions of different kinds. There is a technical-security dimension to the increasing use of ICT in urban settings, because networks are critical infrastructure that needs to be protected. However, there is also a need to build confidence and transparency around what kind of data is being collected, by which authorities, and around how data is stored, shared and used. This session will facilitate a peer-to-peer and expert discussion of the complex set of issues that need to be considered in striking the right balance between privacy and security as information and communication technologies increase in importance. What is the current importance of digital information in urban planning and service delivery? What are the main trends in the use of digital information? When it comes to collecting and using digital information, how can a partnership based on trust be built between authorities and the public? How can big data help local authorities build a strategic and tactical awareness? How can the new technologies be incorporated into decision-making? How much access should police forces and law enforcement have to the digital content of cameras and other sensors owned by private actors? When should they have access and under what conditions?

9 session overviews 9 8. COUNTERTERRORISM Recent attacks have indicated that terrorist capabilities and tactics are evolving and becoming more lethal. Terrorist groups combine local knowledge and action with international capacities for planning, training and logistics. As a result, larger groups of attackers, with combat training and experience, heavy weapons and sophisticated logistic support present a new type of threat that cannot be managed by using regular police tactics. However, many countries are reluctant to increase the role of the military in internal security. Threats blur the distinction between law enforcement and national security, and this session will discuss current models and approaches to countering terrorist attacks in cities, compare experiences and pinpoint key issues and questions that require further assessment. What will be the division of labour between the police, security services and national defence forces in the future? Will a form of hybrid internal security force develop, which crosses current boundaries between law enforcement, intelligence services, and defence forces? What are the political, legal, financial and technical implications of such a development?

10 stockholm security conference on secure cities 9. YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND DERADICALIZATION Finding innovative pathways to engage and interact with younger audiences is going to be an increasingly important priority in the context of urbanization. Engagement with potentially vulnerable youth requires credible voices in order to be effective. People already working actively with youth may best understand the communication tools that are used to radicalize and recruit, and have a stronger connection with young people. Different parts of the legal system, such as the probation service, have insights and experience that can help understand violence prevention. Innovative approaches for example those based around using art, music and sport as an informal point of contact offer potential avenues for engagement. This session will explore the approaches to deradicalization that offer the best chance of success in strengthening urban security, and identify approaches that deserve further exploration. What approaches to youth engagement have proved successful? To what extent can they be reproduced elsewhere? Where are the most valuable insights and experiences relevant to combating radicalization within the existing legal system? Who are trusted interlocutors in the eyes of vulnerable individuals?