The theme of World Cities Day 2019 was Changing the world: Innovations and a better life for future generations with the Global Observance held in Ekaterinburg. It was held for the first time in Russia and attracted over 650 participants from a record number of countries.
At the opening in of the Global Observance in Ekaterinburg, UN-Habitat’s Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, said innovation was often born in cities. Russia’s Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities, Vladimir Yakushev called for people to unite their efforts and creativity to transform cities while the Mayor of Ekaterinburg, Aleksandr Vysokinskiy, said technology was a tool not a target.
The 2019 edition of the Shanghai Manual was launched and there were live links to celebrations in Spain, Moscow region and UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters.
UN-Habitat’s City Resilience Profiling Programme led the annual Fiesta de la Ciencia (Science Festival) in Barcelona with activities organized by over 150 organizations on different scientific and technological areas for children.
The 2019 China Observance of World Cities Day was held in Tangshan City, the first Chinese city to win the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour. More than 400 participants from over 30 Chinese cities and provinces and around 20 countries took part and the meeting was addressed by the Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Mr. Victor Kisob.
In Islamabad, Pakistan, Federal Minister and Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, spoke at the event where Argentina Park was declared a Model Park.
Shortly after Cuba’s capital Havana turned 500 years old, the city marked World Cities Day in an event organized by the Institute of Physical Planning and the National Union of Architects and Construction Engineers of Cuba.
In Toronto, Canada, UN-Habitat, international city leaders and the Urban Economy Forum Association hosted the inaugural Urban Economy Forum, the first global platform on urban economy and finance, with participants from over 20 countries.
World Cities Day was celebrated with three events in Nairobi, Kenya, in Islamabad and in Kuwait UN-Habitat and the Municipal Council, launched the country’s first national campaign for greening open spaces. Tunisia celebrated World Cities Day and the Arab and World Habitat Day with a one-day seminar on Urban Planning and Housing opened by the Minister of Equipment, Housing and Territorial Planning.
The main celebration was held in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
For more information visit the World Cities Day 2019 website.
Explore other events
UN-Habitat Executive Director Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif and the Mayor of Ekaterinburg Aleksandr Vysokinskiy look at the UN-Habitat booth featuring traditional Russian dolls painted with the Sustainable Development Goal symbols 2019
Mr. Aleksandr Vysokinskiy, Mayor of Ekaterinburg, delivering his speech during the UN-Habitat build up to World Cities Day 2019 Global Celebration in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the Deputy Director-General of Shanghai Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Management Shanghai, Mr. Zheng Zhang, and the Mayor of Ekaterinburg Mr. Aleksandr Vysokinskiy, launch the 2019 edition of the Shanghai Manual at the 2019 Global Observance of World Cities Day in Ekaterinburg, Russia
Presentation by Ms. Maha Al Daheri from Abu Dhabi's Strategic Planning Division, on linking World Cities Day to the World Urban Forum
UN-Habitat Executive Director Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif delivering her speech at the Closing of the Global Observance of World Cities Day 2019 in Ekaterinburg, Russia
Panel speakers at the UN-Habitat build up to World Cities Day 2019 Global Celebration in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Mr. Zheng Zhang, Deputy Director-General of Shanghai Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Management Committee of the People’s Republic of China, delivering his speech during the World Cities Day 2019 Global Celebration in Ekaterinburg, Russia
More than half the world’s population now lives in urban areas. By 2050, two thirds will do so. Much of what will be needed to house and serve this increasingly urban world has yet to be constructed, and even some new cities will need to be built. This brings enormous opportunities to develop and implement solutions that can address the climate crisis and pave the way toward a sustainable future.
World Cities Day is a time to remember that while cities are where we face our greatest challenges –they will also be the places where we find the solutions. Cities are hubs of creativity and innovation. And in cities we can apply these solutions to scale to ensure that everyone benefits. World Cities Day focuses the international community’s attention on how urbanization can be used to achieve sustainable development. While the general theme is “Better City, Better Life”, the specific theme for 2019 is “Changing the World: Innovations and a Better Life for Future Generations”.