As COVID-19 continues to spread across the UNECE region, local governments are on the front lines of addressing this unprecedented pandemic. With the ambition to amplify local solutions, UNECE will bring together mayors from Europe, North America, Central Asia and the Caucasus to strengthen the resilience of cities to emergencies, including to COVID-19. With some 75% of the population living in cities, the UNECE region is among the most highly urbanized in the world, turning resilient cities into key drivers for sustainable development in the region.
The Forum of Mayors will be held on 6 October 2020 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, with possibilities for online participation. While local responses to the COVID-19 pandemic has taken the immediate focus in many cities, the Forum will also give space to discuss long-term resilience strategies in cities, including actions mitigating the effects of climate change and natural hazards.
UNECE region in the eye of the storm of COVID-19
As the UNECE region has become the hardest-hit hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities play a crucial role in mitigating and adapting to the virus. The original focus of the Forum has been adjusted to now provide space for mayors to share different local policy responses aiming to protect the health of residents, address the unprecedented social and economic impact of the virus and keep forging a path to a more sustainable and resilient future.
Urban resilience, however, is not limited to the response to pandemics. Tackling the climate crisis remains one of the key challenges of our times. Today, cities are a key contributor to climate change: they consume roughly 60% of the planet’s energy and generate 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. However, cities are also an integral part of the solution in tackling the climate emergency. Leadership on local level is crucial for ambitious climate action, with cities playing an increasingly prominent role in advancing actions to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. The impact of climate change on urban life is visible throughout the UNECE region, including through increased numbers of extreme weather events such as floods, storms and other natural hazards.
Cities are crucial for achieving the SDGs by 2030
With only ten years left to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is important to recognize the key role of cities as drivers for a sustainable transformation. SDG 11 provides a clear set of targets and indicators for making cities and human settlements more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. But city action is not only critical for the achievement of SDG 11 – it is crucial to reach all 17 SDGs by 2030. In fact, it has been estimated that 65% of the total SDG targets need to be delivered by local authorities and actors.
Forum of Mayors: amplifying local voices for collective action
Following-up on the discussions of the Day of Cities convened by UNECE in April 2019, its Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management has decided to convene a Forum of Mayors in 2020 and 2021. The Forum will submit its recommendations to the Committee on how to address the challenges faced by local authorities in the region. This will help shape the policy priorities and programme activities of the intergovernmental Committee, which is composed of representatives of UNECE’s 56 members States. Preceding the Forum, “SDG 11 Day” will bring together partners and key stakeholders for an expert exchange on the most pressing issues on urban sustainability.