Implementing SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda: Key Issues in the Transformation Towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies

Cities are essential to sustainable development. Besides, being incubators for innovation, art and culture, cities can play a leading role in economic development of countries, whose global gross domestic product (GDP) is created, for a large part, in cities. However, the current trend of urbanization is also often accompanied by significant social and environmental challenges, such as the lack of access to adequate, affordable urban land and housing options, urban infrastructure and basic services for a growing number of citizens, who suffer from rising inequality and exclusion.

This is particularly true in developing countries, where about one third of urban dwellers live in slums, their number increasing rapidly as in many cases urbanization is taking place informally, i.e., through uncontrolled urban expansion, poor land use planning and management, environmental degradation, and failures in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure. Cities are also rapidly getting more vulnerable to weather- and climate-related extreme events, which are increasing in frequency and severity with climate variability and climate change.

This side event will provide a platform for policy dialogue and knowledge sharing through presentations and discussions on key aspects related to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements and the New Urban Agenda.

Mayors and other leaders of local governments from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, as well as representatives of developed countries, leading international experts, representatives from UN agencies, Major Groups and other stakeholders leaders of local governments will present and discuss experiences (successes and challenges), including policies, programmes, practices in making cities more resilient and sustainable and share their vision on local actions to undertake to achieve sustainable cities by 2030.