City2City
COVID-19 in African Cities: Impacts, Responses and Policies
27 June 2024 - The report proposes several interventions to promptly and effectively address the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic in Africa at the urban level led by national and local governments supported by international and regional development institutions.
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27 June 2024 - COVID-19, a global pandemic declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), is crippling the global economy and upending people’s lives thereby threatening sustainable development across all its dimensions. Africa is also facing the dire consequences of the crisis, necessitating timely response, recovery and rebuilding policies and strategies. Globally, urban areas are the epicenters of the epidemic accounting for most of the confirmed COVID-19 cases.

UN-Habitat in collaboration with UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG), African Development Bank (AfDB), and Shelter Afrique have joined hands to produce this new report: COVID-19 in African Cities: Impacts, Responses and Policies.

The report proposes several interventions to promptly and effectively address the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic in Africa at the urban level led by national and local governments supported by international and regional development institutions.

Download the Full Report Here: https://unhabitat.org/covid-19-in-africa-cities-impacts-responses-and-policies

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India's Kerala State Is Combating COVID-19 Through Participatory Governance
26 June 2024 - The left-ruled Indian State of Kerala remains in the global spot for its effective and efficient measures in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. 
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26 June 2024 - The left-ruled Indian State of Kerala remains in the global spot for its effective and efficient measures in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. The state captured the Indian news headlines, projecting its potential, strength, and humane approach to the outer world, leaving an operative model that other states can follow.

The government’s apt and adaptive state-interventionist strategy even garnered widespread attention across the world, with international media and academic journals, including that of MIT and Oxford, praising the robustness of the ‘Kerala Model’ of development.

In Kerala, over its formative years, the state government along with its collective organisations and trade unions played an instrumental role in building up a robust public sector, which has given the state the leverage to control pandemics and natural disasters. With its almost 100 per cent literacy rate and its top slot in HDI ranking, the state was always receptive and reactive to progressive change.

But this is one (rather important) part of the larger story. Kerala not only has an efficient government but also has at its disposal a conscious and responsive society of people who are well aware that their role in this deathly fight is as important as that of the government. It is with this collective strength that the southern state of India survived the Nipah Virus and two great floods over the past two years.

In sharp contrast to the state of affairs in the rest of India, Kerala’s lead in the COVID fight has to do with its unique participatory governance, where people worked for the government, complementing the efforts of each other. From providing food items to having media briefs every day, the government made sure that the people were out of starvation and were well informed about the situation. On the other hand, various groups of people came forward to volunteer and made sure that the government policies are implemented on time with effect to ‘break the chain’.

Formation of the Sannadha Sena

The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, called out the youth in the state to join the Sannadha Sena, a community volunteer force formed by the government, comprehending that the government schemes for controlling the crisis needed workforce, other than the state machinery, to be implemented. The online registrations started in March with numerous registrations pouring in to aid the needy.

Though the initial plan was to mobilise around 2.3 lakh able-bodied youth in the age group of 22 to 40, the registrations received a massive response in a month: more than 3 lakh volunteers comprising men, women and transgender people, from different sectors ranging from IT and medical to skilled labourers.

Various organisations, including NGOs, NSS, NCC and Youth Commission called out their volunteers to get involved in the force. Both Kerala’s ruling, as well as opposition parties, also came forward in solidarity to the Sannadha Sena, imploring its members to register themselves with force.

The purpose of the Sannadha Sena was to use its volunteers to provide food, other essentials and physical assistance to those who were under lockdown. After registration, the health authorities examined them and trained them or helping the affected during an outbreak, without compromising their health. The state also gave them the necessary protective equipment and paid for their food and travel expenses.

The Sena comprised of 200 volunteers of each Panchayat, 500 of each municipality and 700 of each corporation. These volunteers enquired in their neighbourhoods whether some residents needed help. They were also vigilant enough to look out for the aged, persons with disabilities, and those who didn't have a home to stay in. The force made sure that these people were taken care of and not ignored. It was through the Sannadha Sena that the government was also effectively able to create a helpline service for assisting the people.

Community Kitchen volunteers

Understanding that the lockdown will adversely impact the abilities of people to earn income, the government made a clarion call to establish community kitchens across the state to provide food at a low and affordable cost. Thus, at the decree of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, hundreds of such kitchens mushroomed across 941 Panchayats in the state on March 25.

This led to the formation of an ‘Arogya Sena’, where people volunteered to cook meals in large numbers in community kitchens to make sure that nobody went hungry without getting food. By effectively making use of the ground level resources of the local self-governments and community groups, arrangements were also made to distribute food at free of cost to those who were not able to afford them. In an extraordinary move, measures were also taken to directly deliver these free meals at the footsteps of people who couldn't afford it, thus protecting and valuing their dignity in front of others.

The operations of the community kitchens were conducted in such a manner that two batches of people, one for cooking and the other for distributing cooked meals, were given passes to work in the community kitchens in two timelines, one in the morning to cook the food and other at noon to distribute them, preserving the protocols of social distancing. Food packets amounting to 2.8 lakhs are being distributed a day in Kerala by these volunteers.

Other than the government, several organisations, local clubs and private individuals also sponsored funds to help in running these community kitchens.

Reaching out to families with Kudumbasree

The role of Kudumbasree, a three-tier community network project of women self-help groups, was put to use at multiple levels. Not only were they involved in the setting up of numerous community kitchens in the nooks and corners of the state, but the government was also able to call upon them for various other purposes as well, to reach out to families.

Kudumbashree formed 1.9 lakh WhatsApp groups with 22 lakh neighbourhood group members to educate them about Government instructions regarding COVID-19. They gave a note to all the 43 lakh neighbourhood group members which they discussed at their meetings. The note was regarding details of ‘Break the Chain’ campaign and the need for special care for those above 60 years of age.

Kudumbashree was also involved in preparing and selling lakhs of cotton masks through their 306 tailoring units. Numerous microenterprise units had prepared sanitisers when there was a shortage for it. Also, their tailoring units have prepared cloth bags for supplying it to the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation.

Since the continuous lockdown periods forced people to not go to work, it was hard for families, especially those who were working in the informal sector, to sustain themselves without any source of income. Thus, the government needed to infuse people with the necessary money during the pandemic period. It was through Kudumbasree that the government was able to give away interest-free loans worth ₹2000 crore to the families who needed them.

In places that were noted as ‘red spots’ in Kerala, strict directions were given to the people to abstain themselves from getting out of their houses, except for medical and other emergencies. To enable people to get groceries and other essentials without having them to go out, the local self-governments contacted the local Kudumbasree members and granted them the permission to collect and deliver those essential purchases directly to individual homes, limiting further contamination in those spots.

Active Political and Cultural Organisations

The various political and cultural organisations in Kerala played a crucial role in reaching out to the ordinary people, taking care of each of their struggling families and distributing them with kits of vegetables and essential dry food grains.

Members of both the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition INC decentralised efforts locally and took care of people by regularly ensuring that they were comfortable during the lockdown. 

Over the years, consecutive Kerala governments have adopted unique and joint governance models that combine the efforts of both the government and communities in a people-centric development approach. The state has invested heavily in the public sector, thus decreasing the class disparities in accessing health, as well as other services. An atmosphere of policies guided by the theory of the welfare state and participatory management systems made Kerala’s development indices stand out from the rest of the country.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE LINK: https://www.indepthnews.net/index.php/the-world/asia-pacific/3563-india-s-kerala-is-combating-covid-19-through-participatory-governance

Image by Nicolas DEBRAY from Pixabay 

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5 Ways India Can Use Innovation to Meet Its Urbanization Challenges
India is projected to overtake China as the most populous country in the world this year. The shifting demographics are bound to create heightened demand for education, health care, jobs and civic amenities, putting existing systems under stress. Current urban services delivery models, in transport, water and waste management, are plagued by outdated, legacy systems, lack of data, and restrictive policies and regulations. Focusing on technology-led innovation has the potential to address the rising demand for public services in India.
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5 Ways India Can Use Innovation to Meet Its Urbanization Challenges

By Madhav Pai and Jaya Dhindaw | Originally published by World Resources Institute on May 2, 2024   

By harnessing technology and nurturing innovation, Indian cities can address systemic challenges in service management and delivery. Photo: Megha Bhatt/Unsplash

But there are ways for innovation to improve services. Globally, one out of every 10 “unicorns” is born in India. As of September 2022, India is home to 107 so-called unicorn startups with a total valuation of $341 billion. Most startups that reach a $1 billion valuation are from the e-commerce, fintech and logistic sectors. While the sustainability and civic-tech space has seen an increase in the number of startups, more needs to be done to harness technology and address systemic challenges in urban service delivery and management.

Here are five ways cities can pave the way for innovation to improve services:

1. Create Space for Experimentation

Entrepreneurs need incubation facilities, labs and platforms to develop their proof of concepts. Low-risk pilots allow local governments to test and learn about a product or service while helping entrepreneurs understand ground realities better.

The Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators – India (ASHA-India), part of the Global Housing Technology Challenge – India (GHTC-India), is one such example that supports climate-resilient, resource-efficient solutions to accelerate the government’s Housing for All program. Another example is TheCityFix Labs, a multi-stakeholder platform that seeks to accelerate the delivery of improved urban services by bridging gaps in the innovation ecosystem in terms of access to funding, finance, markets and the government.

Representatives from Hasirudala, WeGoT Utility Solutions and Solar Labs, the three finalists from the TheCityFix Labs 2019: Accelerating Innovation in Water, Waste & Energy. Photo: WRI India

2. Extend Support Beyong Incubation

Government initiatives and schemes typically support startups in the crucial inception stages — by providing facilities, infrastructure and incubation. However, there is little support for commercialization and sustenance of ideas. Robust linkages between institutions, academia, and industry, and addressing issues of liquidity and employment to help entrepreneurs play the long game, is much needed.

Creating a model that encourages collaborative thinking and brings together different stakeholders onto one platform early in the problem-solving stage is another avenue worth exploring. For instance, the recently launched India Forum for Nature-Based Solutions is India’s first urban nature-based solutions consortium that brings together multiple stakeholders to leverage their collective strength towards accelerating action for building climate-resilient cities.

Dignitaries at the launch of the India Forum for Nature-Based Solutions by the National Institute of Urban Affairs and WRI India, at the World Urban Forum (2022) in Katowice, Poland. Photo: WRI India

3. Enable Robust Business Models

Sustainability project financing in India, offered only by a few banks and non-banking financial institutions, is still in its infancy. Non-traditional sources of finance such as crowdfunding often impose prohibitively rigid and excessive terms and conditions to offset perceived risks. There is a need for hybrid financial instruments and patient capital that can de-risk investments and help attract funding from mainstream commercial investors.

Budget 2022 had proposed three ways in which this can be tackled. First, by introducing sovereign green bonds and access to blended finance. Second, by creating a live database to help with credit facilitation, skilling and livelihoods. And third, using surety bonds instead of bank guarantees for public procurement contracts which could help reduce the burden on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups.

4. Establish an Anchor Institute

City and state governments need to both sharpen their problem statements and break them down into solvable units. At present, different government agencies at the national, state and local levels work in organizational silos. Fragmented efforts by multiple authorities lead to poor implementation. A multi-stakeholder intermediary platform can help break silos and bring together multiple stakeholders, who can pool individual resources and skills toward solving a common problem. Setting up anchor institutions can provide leadership, coordination and a unified approach to de-risking solutions to shape more productive outcomes.

5. Level the Playing Field

Finally, an ecosystem that allows enterprises to scale up to successfully participate in government contracts must be built. Smaller enterprises find it difficult to meet the stringent qualification criteria of municipal requests for proposals, while complex procurement processes and long payment cycles discourage entrepreneurs from participating at all. This process must be reformed by testing alternatives that actively encourage wider participation. This would include standardizing definitions of terms such as “innovative” or “green,” using a quality- or outcomes-based approach for request for proposals, firming up policies on procurement from MSMEs and ensuring timely payments for services.

Hasirudala, a Bengaluru-based social impact organization has had tremendous success integrating waste workers with a formal waste management system, converting waste picking into a well-organized urban service. Photo: Hasirudala

Each dollar invested in urban infrastructure for water, sanitation and hygiene generates between $4 to $34 in benefits by saving time, improving health and raising productivity. Technology-led innovation in urban services delivery for such crucial needs must be incentivized and institutionalized, both to ensure their viability and offer a better quality of life to everyone in cities.

This article originally appeared on WRI-India.org

Madhav Pai is CEO of WRI India.

Jaya Dhindaw is Program Director – Integrated Urban Development, Planning and Resilience at WRI India.

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Trees for Cities: Implementing Nature-Based Solutions in India
The Urban Forest scheme, launched in 2024 to create Nagar Vans (Urban Forests), supports the extension of the green cover in cities. Instances of collective action to this end also exist in cities such as Chennai, Gurugram, Delhi and Kochi. But extensive conservation, promotion and addition of green cover continues to require concentrated and consistent efforts. 
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Trees for Cities: Implementing Nature-Based Solutions in India

By Priya Narayanan, Linda Regi and Achu R. Sekhar | Originally published by World Resources Institute on May 1, 2024   

Cubbon Park, Bangalore. Photo: Pasqualino Capobianco/Unsplash

Whether one seeks an escape from Delhi’s scorching summer heat or a winter afternoon basking in the sun, Sanjay Van National Park, one of the city’s few surviving urban forests, comes to mind. Mangalavanam in Kochi or Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar evokes a similar sentiment in residents of these cities.

Trees, parks and urban forests are essential to cities not just as spaces of community building, but they also offer multiple ecological benefits, from building resilience against climate change to water security, biodiversity, resident health and well-being. Adequate green cover and various forms of green built environment, including nature-based solutions (NbS), improve the quality of urban life. It is estimated that if natural climate solutions are mobilized over the next 10 to 15 years, coupled with a reduction in fossil fuel emissions, they could provide 37% of the mitigation required for global climate targets.

An illustration showcasing nature inclusive cites. Image: Nileena.S /WRI India

The Cities4Forests global initiative defines an urban forest as the trees and shrubs in an urban area, including trees in yards, along streets and utility corridors, in protected areas and in watersheds. This includes individual trees, street trees, green spaces with trees and even the associated vegetation and the soil beneath the trees.

In cities, urban vegetation along with other blue-green infrastructure helps to mitigate climate risks like heat islands and urban floods, enhance urban resilience and ensure sustainability. They also play an important role in creating natural recreational spaces, mitigating dust pollution, reducing noise, creating green jobs and conserving topsoil.

Marine drive in Kochi. Photo: Rajeev Malagi/WRI India

Over the last decade, the central government in India has been working towards improving the green cover in cities. But planting trees continues to be seen as a cost rather than an asset. Success metrics for urban forestry is defined by planting rather than maintenance, and funding is usually inadequate because the financial returns from trees are simplified based on material revenue rather than returns in the form of ecosystem services. Such challenges prevent cities from raising the necessary public capital and participation to grow more urban forests.

The Urban Forest scheme, launched in 2024 to create Nagar Vans (Urban Forests), supports the extension of the green cover in cities. Instances of collective action to this end also exist in cities such as Chennai, Gurugram, Delhi and Kochi. But extensive conservation, promotion and addition of green cover continues to require concentrated and consistent efforts. We have identified three key actions for trees and forests to thrive and result in more livable cities for us all:

1. Engaging with Communities and Local Leaders 

Often overlooked, this is one of the most vital elements for the sustenance of any on-ground intervention. Stakeholders in the neighborhood need consistent support and repeated assurances about the benefits of urban forests and it should be ensured that residents, local champions and community leaders are included in co-designing and developing the space so that what is developed is based on what is required in their neighborhoods.

Stakeholder consultation meeting conducted by WRI India at Mamta Public School, Jaipur for developing urban rooftop gardens. Photo: Sidharth Thyagarajan/WRI India

2. Embracing Action through Institutional Partnerships

In urban areas, assisted planting of trees requires care since saplings need to adjust to the ambient temperature, pollution and biodiversity. Institutional partnerships can play an important role in making this happen. For example, through our sustained efforts under the Cities4Forests global initiative, we enabled the city of Kochi to effectively strategize a partnership with the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) of Kerala and utilize the Ayyankali Mission (an urban employment mission for non-skilled laborers) to ensure the nurturing of four neighborhood greening sites over a period of three years. The employment of local workers in maintaining the Kawaki sites, in particular the inclusion of women laborers and Self-Help Group (SHG) members, reveals a significant shift towards resilience-building and shaping more inclusive climate action planning by the urban local body.

Women from SHGs deepening the trench and removing weeds from the base of planted tree saplings as part of a routine maintenance process under the Ayyankali Scheme. Photo: Achu Sekhar/WRI India

3. Ensuring and Empowering the Next Generation

Our actions today can ensure long-term preparedness for climate risks, better living environment and ecosystem balance. Urban forests are one of the ways to help maintain this balance and promoting them is imperative for our future. Sensitizing youth to the importance of trees would not only ensure the protection and maintenance of these urban forests but will also aid the transition to green jobs.

A Kawaki site being cared for by students at the SRV Government School in Kochi. Photo: Achu Sekhar/WRI India

We must collectively reimagine the role trees play in our cities, not just as tools of beautification but as participants that improve urban life.

There is also an opportunity to further explore how urban forests can improve human health. But this entails safeguarding urban green spaces and preventing their conversion, enhancing forest management on working lands, using a variety of restoration techniques and planting urban forests. To better include the importance of trees in our lives, the conservation sector must recognize and promote the benefits of investing in forest protection, management and restoration as a prime method to restore our earth to its natural environment. As we look back on World Earth Day, let’s remember that rigorous collaboration, shared vision and action across various stakeholders is critical to ensure that ‘we invest in our planet’ for a better tomorrow. Along with the recommendations discussed in this blog, such collaborative action can help create healthier and more resilient cities for our coming generations.

This article originally appeared on WRI-India.org

Priya Narayanan is Program Manager – Urban Forestry & Urban Development at WRI India.

Linda Regi is Program Associate – Geo Analytics with WRI India’s Sustainable Cities and Transport program.

Achu R. Sekhar is Program Manager – Urban Planning and Disaster Resilience with WRI India’s Sustainable Cities and Transport program.

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2024 SDG Summit at the United Nations General Assembly
The 2024 SDG Summit will be convened on 18-19 September 2024, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week and marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Heads of State and Government will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to follow-up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . They will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the SDGs. Learn more here: un.org/en/conferences/SDGSummit2024
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2024 SDG Summit at the United Nations General Assembly

The 2024 SDG Summit will be convened on 18-19 September 2024, during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week. Heads of State and Government will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to follow-up and review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . They will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the SDGs.

The Summit will also bring together political and thought leaders from governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, women and youth and other stakeholders in a series of high-level meetings with the Heads of State and Government.

The 2024 SDG Summit marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July 2022 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council called for the Summit to “ mark the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals .”

The SDG Summit will be chaired by the President of the General Assembly. The outcome of the Summit will be a negotiated political declaration.

This will be the second SDG Summit – the HLPF under the auspices of the General Assembly – since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in September 2015.

The special edition of the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet”, the Advance Unedited version has been released. Please read the Newsletter for the latest information.

Find more information here on the programme, documentation, registration, media, and more: un.org/en/conferences/SDGSummit2024

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High-Level Political Forum 2024

High-Level Political Forum 2024

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held in New York from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday,

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19 July 2024, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, 17 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2024 as part of the High-level Segment of the Council. The last day of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC will be on Thursday, 20 July 2024.

The theme will be " Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels ”.

In the forum, participants will be able to further discuss the effective and inclusive recovery measures to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explore actionable policy guidance for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs at all levels.

The HLPF in 2024, without prejudice to the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the SDGs, will also review in-depth Goals 6 on clean water and sanitation, 7 on affordable and clean energy, 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and 17 on partnerships for the Goals.

This includes special sessions on "Transformation from the ground up: Acting at local level" on 11 July and "SDGs in focus: SDG 11 and interlinkages with other SDGs –Sustainable cities and communities" on 13 July.

In addition, 39 countries and territories will present their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the forum: Bahrain,Barbados, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina , Brunei Darussalam , Burkina Faso,Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic , Comoros,Chile, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo , European Union, France,Guyana,Iceland,Ireland,Kuwait,Liechtenstein,Lithuania,Maldives,Mongolia,Poland,Portugal,Romania,Rwanda,Saudi Arabia,Singapore, Slovakia, St Kitts & Nevis , Syrian Arab Republic , Tajikistan,Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania , Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, and Zambia. 

The HLPF in July will also support the mid-term review of the implementation of the SDGs and the preparations for the 2024 SDG Summit – the HLPF to be convened under the auspices of the General Assembly in September 2024.

Learn more here: hlpf.un.org/2024

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Second Session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly
The second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly will be held from 5 to 9 June 2024 in Nairobi. Kenya. The theme of the session is “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises.” As the governance body of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Habitat Assembly convenes every four years. Thematic discussions will focus on universal access to affordable housing, urban climate action, urban crises recovery, urban crises recovery, localization of the SDGs, and prosperity and local finance.
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Second Session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly 

The second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly will be held from 5 to 9 June 2024 in Nairobi. Kenya. The theme of the session is “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises.”

As the governance body of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Habitat Assembly convenes every four years. It is the highest global decision-making body on sustainable urbanization and human settlements.

The 193 UN Member States cast the votes, while participants include non-Member States, other UN bodies and specialized agencies, as well as intergovernmental organizations, civil society, private sector, academia and research institutions, women, youth and children, and grassroots organizations.

Thematic debates and discussions during the Assembly will focus on the following topics:
Universal access to affordable housing: Member States are encouraged to explore mechanisms to achieve the universal right to adequate housing and move towards removing existing barriers to affordable housing.

Urban climate action: to achieve the global commitment to stay within 1.5˚C limit on rising temperatures by 2030, Member States are encouraged to explore realistic urban pathways for climate action.

Urban crises recovery: current crises are increasingly more urban, with cities very often serving as the main places of arrival for displaced people. Member States are encouraged to empower cities to respond to urban crises and support national recovery efforts.

Localization of the SDGs: the Assembly will look at local actions needed to advance the implementation of SDGs to meet the 2030 Development Agenda targets. Member States will also be invited to explore financial mechanisms to ensure resources are directed toward urban development and reach local levels.

Prosperity and local finance: to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, respond to urban crises, advance urban climate action, and ensure adequate and affordable housing for all, cities need policies and fiscal resources. Member States are invited to explore policies and market mechanisms to ensure financial flows directed towards urban development and reach local levels. 

Notification by the Executive Director on the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme: English | Русский | Español | Français | 中文 | العربية

More information here

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Youth in Cities Dialogue

The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network (CSCN) is hosting two dialogue sessions to share and exchange on the Youth Agenda for Cities in the Commonwealth. Please save the date relevant to your time zone.

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Youth in Cities Dialogue

The Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network is holding a unique online event, entitled - Youth in Cities Dialogue - coming up in May. To accommodate all regions of the Commonwealth, they are taking place as follows:

  • 9th / 10th May 2024 at 20.00 UTC

(Caribbean/Canada (afternoon) / Pacific (morning))  

  • 11th May 2024 at 10.00 UTC

(Africa/Europe (morning) / Asia (afternoon))  

Delivered in collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation (CYSU), the session is intended as a wide ranging discussion which will touch on key services for young people in cities and the challenges they are facing across the Commonwealth. It will also examine strategies and existing examples for including young people in local decision making, the democratic process and place shaping. These sessions are intended as a broad overview of key issues. They will provide an opportunity to share the services developed, the experiences of their implementation and to discuss applicability to your region.   

Early registrations are being taken.

Click Here to Register. 

For further information, please contact CLGF Senior Programme Officer - Networks, Janine Xavier-Cross at     

Retrieved from https://www.clgf.org.uk/whats-new/news/youth-in-cities-dialogue-sign-up-for-this-online-event/

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World Forum of Cities and Territories of Peace

The World Forum on Cities and Territories of Peace (WFCPTP) is a multi-stakeholder multi-level platform that highlights the importance of building coexistence and peace within cities and territories, together with efforts to identify the root causes of conflict and violence, in order to launch public policies, programs and citizen programs that contribute to building a peace culture.

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World Forum of Cities and Territories of Peace

The Forum is an opportunity to address the causes of the social pressures that lead to violence in the territories.

More information

Retrieved from metropolis.org/agenda/world-forum-cities-and-territories-peace-0

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14th Metropolis World Congress & Brussels Urban Summit 2024

Large cities and metropolitan areas face a range of shared challenges, such as inequality, diversity, public health issues, and the climate and energy crises.

Metropolises and their inhabitants are still the drivers of innovation and growth and through sustainable development are key to building societies that are more inclusive, more accessible and more efficient. 

In this context, for the first time in six years and in the framework of the Brussels Urban Summit 2024, the entire Metropolis community will get together in Brussels to celebrate the 14th Metropolis World Congress and address the major challenges facing the world's big cities and metropolises.

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14th Metropolis World Congress & Brussels Urban Summit 2024

More information: www.urbansummit.brussels

Retrieved from www.metropolis.org/agenda/14th-metropolis-world-congress-brussels-urban-summit-2024

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