Newsletter «Zurich (Inter)national»

On March 27, 2024, Mayor Corine Mauch opened a debate at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on the responsibility of local and regional authorities for environmental protection.

She took the opportunity to explain the City of Zurich's position on the pioneering role of cities in climate protection. She underpinned this position with a presentation of Zurich's net zero strategy and emphasized the urgency of urban action in Switzerland in view of the lack of ambition at the national level.

The debate concluded that better coordination of the efforts of European cities, municipalities and regions would make it possible to learn from each other and at the same time increase the pressure on national governments to adopt more ambitious environmental policies.

As part of the city-to-city cooperation in the field of waste management launched in January 2024, delegations from the partner cities of Santa Cruz, Bolivia and Cali, Colombia visited the city of Zurich for an initial in-depth exchange of expertise.

Entsorgung und Recycling Zürich (ERZ) organized an exciting program under the heading «Circular Economy», which impressively illustrated the Swiss waste management system and recycling technology to the delegations.

With the support of the partner organization Swisscontact, the exchange of expertise between the cities will be further intensified over the next four years based on the jointly established foundation. Moreover, specific projects for the implementation of circular waste systems of the partner cities of Santa Cruz and Cali will be implemented locally with financial contributions from the City of Zurich. 

Last week, the City of Zurich welcomed a delegation of eleven U.S. mayors, including representatives from Tampa, Broken Arrow, and Albany, to discuss drug policy, housing policy, and mobility. The delegation was accompanied by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Special attention was given to Zurich's drug policy, which focuses on harm reduction and comprehensive support, and was considered a model for their own cities. Strategies for creating affordable housing and promoting cooperative housing were also discussed.

Zurich's transportation system and sustainable mobility concepts, including the E-Bike City project by ETH Zurich, garnered great interest. The exchange provided new perspectives and solutions for urban challenges.