PURPOSE: The World Cities Day was established in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/68/239. The first World Cities Day was held on 31 October 2014. A legacy of Expo 2010 Shanghai China. The observance day ties in with Sustainable Development Goal 11, to make cities “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. Individual households in urban areas have provided an enabling environment for work and study in the home, while city communities have made a significant contribution to challenging poverty, discrimination and other forms of inequality that undermine anti-pandemic measures. The Sustainable Development Goal 11 formulates the ambition to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The Observance of World Cities Day highlights progress and new challenges on that path. The Urban October Month starts on October 1st and end on 31st october.
FORUM: “Youth climate changemakers: Catalysing local action for urban sustainability.” World Cities Day 2024. With urban areas projected to accommodate 70% of the global population by 2050, cities face unprecedented challenges, particularly in the context of climate change. In cities worldwide, youth represent a significant demographic, with their voices and actions pivotal in shaping urban futures. It has been estimated that 60% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2030 and that as many as 60% of urban dwellers will be under the age of 18. Despite progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, urban areas continue to grapple with poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation, necessitating urgent and transformative actions. In the Global South, these challenges are often more pronounced due to rapid urbanization, limited infrastructure, and insufficient resources. Cities in these regions frequently face severe housing shortages, inadequate access to clean water and sanitation, and higher vulnerability to climate-related disasters. Youth in these areas are particularly affected, experiencing high levels of unemployment and limited educational opportunities. Therefore, addressing the unique needs and leveraging the potential of young people in the Global South is crucial for achieving sustainable urban development and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Engaging youth meaningfully in urban decision-making processes is essential for fostering inclusive and resilient cities. By empowering and enabling young people to participate actively, cities can tap into their creativity, innovation, and commitment to drive sustainable development. Moreover, involving youth in policymaking ensures that urban strategies reflect their aspirations and concerns, leading to more effective and equitable future. Through the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations, the imperative is to establish frameworks that prioritize the voices of youth and future generations, ensuring their active participation in shaping sustainable urban landscapes. The Pact for the Future aims to strengthen the multilateral system to address current and future challenges, explicitly recognizing the crucial role of youth and future generations. This commitment is reflected in the Declaration on Future Generations, which seeks to safeguard the rights and interests of those yet to be born by promoting long-term, responsible decision-making. As we prepare for the Summit of the Future, these frameworks will be critical in shaping the discussions and outcomes. The Summit of the Future is an opportunity to integrate youth perspectives into global policy, ensuring that the multilateral system is responsive to the needs and aspirations of the younger generation. By adopting these frameworks at the Summit, we commit to creating pathways for young people to influence urban policies and strategies actively. This includes establishing youth councils, integrating youth representatives into local government bodies, and ensuring continuous dialogue between young people and policymakers. These actions will help build cities that are not only sustainable and resilient but also reflective of the diverse voices and needs of all their inhabitants, present and future. The 2024 World Cities Day (WCD) will be held right before the World Urban Forum 12 (WUF 12) in Cairo. This event will energize youth to engage actively in WUF 12. As part of the agenda, the Youth Forum will tackle many of these pressing challenges. The discussions and outcomes from the Youth Forum will feed directly into the declaration and outcome document of WUF 12, shaping the future cities forum and ensuring that youth perspectives are integral to urban planning and policy decisions. The objectives of this year’s observance is to Recognize the leadership of local governments and potential of youth in advancing climate and local action for cities; To Facilitate dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders to accelerate climate action and sustainable urban development; To celebrate successful city projects and youth-led initiatives and contributions to urban sustainability and to Highlight the importance of integrating youth perspectives in urban planning, policymaking, and implementation processes. As cities around the world continue to grow, they are increasingly home to a new wave of young leaders committed to addressing the pressing issues of climate change. Youth are at the forefront of local action and innovation, playing a catalytic role in shaping sustainable urban futures. This year’s celebration is a call to action for youth and local governments to work hand-in-hand to address the climate crisis. With climate change intensifying urban challenges, particularly in rapidly growing cities, this year’s observance will emphasize the power of youth to lead in urban adaptation and climate resilience. By taking the lead, today’s youth can shape their cities to be inclusive, equitable, and environmentally sustainable for generations to come. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #WorldCitiesDay, #31October, #UrbanOctober, #sustainableurbanfuture, #Cities.
EVENTS: On October 31st, from 08:30 AM-16:00 PM (UTC+03) at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt, the UN-Habitat invites everyone committed to urban resilience and climate action to join the Global Observance of World Cities Day, under the theme “Youth climate changemakers: Catalysing local action for urban sustainability.” This year’sevent is taking place in the historic city of Alexandria, Egypt and will highlight the leadership of young people in driving bold, transformative actions that contribute to building more sustainable and climate-resilient cities. The celebration will bring together leaders of sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, private sector and governments to focus on the World Cities Day 2024 theme. During the Global Observance, participants will engage in high-level discussions, youth panels, and dialogues that explore innovative solutions for building resilient urban spaces. The event will also feature the prestigious Shanghai Award presentation, recognizing outstanding urban initiatives that support sustainable development. Agenda Programme:
10:00 – 10:45: Welcome Notes of World Cities Day 2024 Youth climate changemakers
10:50 – 12:00: High-level Ministerial Panel for Youth Climate Change Makers: Different Perspectives
12:00 – 12:30: Shanghai Award and Shanghai Manual presentation
13:30 – 14:30: Youth panel discussion on climate and cities (Youth on the Front Lines: Leading Climate Change in Cities)
14:30 – 15:30: Public-Private Sectors Dialogue (Public-private dialogue: Sustainable Investments for Climate Resilience)
15:30 – 15:50: A joint presentation and closing remarks for the day - World Cities Day 2024
To Participate Get the concept note, the Information for the participants; Register to attend the Global Observance at events.unhabitat.org and Download the programme. Please feel free to contact us on our email address: unhabitat-wcd@un.org
PUBLICATIONS: Get the Urban October Toolkit 2024 and Explore the Journals of Urban Policy, Planning and Development.
STATEMENTS: Read the statement of the United Nations Secretary-General on World Cities Day 2024; October 31st and the message of the UN-Habitat Executive Director on World Cities Day 2024; October 31st.
PODCASTS: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 “to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” identifies sustainable urbanization as one of the key priorities for global development. The adoption of the new Urban Agenda by the United Nations in 2016 has seen national and local governments around the world embark on a transformative path towards making SDG11 a reality. Listen to the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS : “Youth leading climate and local action for cities.” You are invited to join us in the celebration of World Cities Day 2024 and for the 31 days to promote better urban future. Urbanization presents some of the most significant opportunities and challenges in the world today. Cities are centres for economic growth and development but also face demographic, environmental, economic and social challenges. Explore the poster in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian and Chinese on Trello Board. Get the communication materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
HOW TO GET INVOLVED!
PARTNERSHIPS
The World Cities Day is co-hosted bythe UN General Assembly, the UN-Habitat, the UNESCO, the UN Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the UN-WATER, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
With the participation of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the Shanghai Municipal Government in the People’s Republic of China.
With the collaboration of Civil Society Organizations; the Mayor offices, Urban planners, Public Infrastructure ministers, Urban Architects and Engineers, International and Non-governmental Organization, researchers and academics.
Urban October is a month of exciting meetings, discussions and events focusing the world’s attention on urban issues and sustainable development. Individuals, organizations, cities, communities, and governments at every level are encouraged to take part in activities that highlight the challenges and solutions relating to cities, towns, and communities.Evaluate the Progress made towards the Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Local action is critical to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030. UN-Habitat has been at the forefront of SDG localization since the very endorsement of the Agenda 2030. Since then, UN-Habitat has been working to advance SDG localization by providing technical expertise to partners across the globe, by leading the development of cutting-edge research, by capacitating local and regional governments on SDG localization, and by strengthening the voice of local governments and local actors within the main international and UNled fora on SDGs.
By engaging all stakeholders, cities have the ability to harness transformational change and improve the life of their inhabitants. However, in many contexts, cities lack the capacity to enact this change. Ensuring cities have the capacity, capability and tools to address the challenges posed by urbanization has become a pressing global issue.
World Cities Day brings Urban October to an end on October 31th each year and was first celebrated in 2014. Our aim is to advance the technical and political debate on the localization of the SDGs as a comprehensive roadmap to enhance inclusive human settlements and organize political inputs to implement global recommendations in local contexts. To share and hear from best examples of participatory processes and inclusion related to SDG localization that can be extrapolated and tailored to different contexts. To define concrete hands-on learnings and recommendations on how to effectively implement the SDGs to reduce inequalities within cities and across territories.