The spread of COVID-19 in South Africa and other countries in the region has again brought to the fore the fact that very dense, under-serviced, mostly informal, settlements are not healthy places to live. They are also places where the spread of a disease is difficult to prevent or manage.
The first casualty of any crisis – from Covid-19 to Climate change – are the poor and marginalized. Beyond first response, we need to radically reimagine our cities, reshape our communities for resilience and ready our at-risk populations for the future.
The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established in 2001 by the United Nations to address one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. Convened by UN-Habitat, the Forum is a high level, open and inclusive platform for addressing the challenges of sustainable urbanization.
First International Forum on Urban-Rural Linkages: “Rural revitalization through innovation and valorization”
The 5-day long urban governance programme seeks to strengthen the capacity of decision-makers in the area of urban management and planning for sustainable urbanization, and develop skills and know-how in local finance, housing, urban planning and land management, mobility and urban sustainability.
The Shelter Academy is a week-long capacity building programme that will equip participants with the knowledge, skills and know-how to respond to urban challenges related to climate change in their cities.
Target Group: Mayors, decision-makers, senior managers, and senior government officials are invited to apply. Female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.
Conference Theme: Partnership for enhanced Inclusion and Impact
The Land Portal Foundation and the NRMC Center for Land Governance partnered with key organizations to hold a series of three webinars leading up to the third annual India Land and Development Conference (ILDC), which took place from 12-14 March, 2019.
The 2018 Urban Conference will follow on from the 2017 event which focused specifically on communication and engaging with urban stakeholders on the content of the IUDF. At this follow up event, the aim is to further embed the IUDF agenda by focusing on what implementation means in practice. A series of sessions will focus on the themes and sub-themes and will be designed so that there are theoretical and evidence-based inputs but also space for thinking through what practical implementations of the IUDF means for the various spheres of government and in different sectors
World Cities Day aims to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, enhance cooperation among countries and cities in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contribute to sustainable urban development. The overall World Cities Day theme is Better City, Better Life and this year’s particular theme is Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities. The main event will be celebrated in Liverpool, UK.
The United Nations designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. The Day is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.
