World Cities Day
Observed annually on October 31st, World Cities Day is a UN observance day that is organized by the UN Human Settlements Program in coordination with a selected host city. This is a day in which the private sector, development partners, and academic institutions exchange new ideas, and the best practices to build urban climate resilience.
Each observance of this holiday will have a central theme that will focus everyone’s efforts on this holiday. For example, the theme in 2014 was “Leading Urban Transformations,” and in 2021, the theme was “Adapting Cities for Urban Resilience.”
The History Of World Cities Day
On December 27, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution A/RES/68/239, which established World Cities Day. This holiday designated the 31st of October as a day to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, and at the same time, to address the challenges that are caused by the challenges of urbanization.
It’s a holiday that aims to bring together communities, experts, and governments to establish sustainable urban development throughout the world.
Observing World Cities Day
On this day, the UN works with its partner city to raise awareness about the need of creating not only more sustainable cities but to ensure that those cities are hardened against climate change.
Every year, climate change causes a variety of disasters that affect cities directly. These include, but aren’t limited to, hurricanes, floods, rising sea levels, heatwaves, mudslides, forest fires, and storms. Approximately a billion people in urban informal settlements are at risk, and 130 port cities are expected to be affected by coastal flooding.
It’s a day on which people can come together to find solutions to these problems and create more sustainable urban environments for everyone. People can spread the word about this holiday around the world using the hashtag #WorldCitiesDay on their social media accounts.
