World Cities Day brings Urban October to an end on 31 October each year and was first celebrated in 2014. As with World Habitat Day, a global observance is held in a different city each year and the day focuses on a specific theme.
Last year’s global observance was planned to take place on 31 October 2022 under the theme Act Local to Go Global. The global event brought different partners and diverse stakeholders together to share their experiences and approaches to the local action, what local action worked, and what was needed to empower local and regional governments to create greener, more equitable, and sustainable cities.
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On this World Cities Day, we recognize the critical role of urban areas in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Next year marks the mid-point to the deadline to reach the SDGs. Yet an honest look reveals a bleak picture. Across a range of critical goals from poverty and hunger to gender equality and education we are not seeing progress, but backsliding. The consequences are dramatic: escalating climate chaos, growing poverty, rising inequalities, and more. We must change course and we can. This year’s theme of World Cities Day highlights how: ‘Act Local to Go Global.’ The goals are global in scope, but implementation is local. And that means implementation happens largely in cities: Today, more than half of all people live in urban areas by 2050, and over two-thirds will do so.
We have only about 87 months, 380 weeks or 2600 days left to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The best way to do so is by ensuring our cities and communities are sustainable. These are big words. What I mean to say is that sometimes the solution to the challenges we are facing such as the Covid-19 pandemic, on-going conflicts and climate disasters is starring us in the face.