New York: World Cities Day is observed globally on October 31, every year as designated by the United Nations General Assembly by its resolution 68/239.
The Day is celebrated to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contribute to sustainable urban development around the world.
The global theme of World Cities Day 2021 is “Adapting cities for climate resilience”, acknowledging that integrated climate resilience policies and action plans will greatly reduce climate-related risks for urban populations.
Urban October was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world’s urban challenges and engage the international community towards the New Urban Agenda. World Cities Day 2021 is the Eighth global celebration since the day was launched on 31 October 2014 in Shanghai, China.
More than half of the world’s population currently live in urban areas and cities have progressively become hubs of human activities, resilience, sustainability and innovation. UNESCO recognizes the important role that cities play in realising sustainable development.
