SDG Cities Global Conference Held in Shanghai to Mark World Cities Day

SHANGHAI, Nov. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On November 2, the plenary session of the 2026 SDG Cities Global Conference was held at The Grand Halls on Shanghai’s North Bund under the theme “Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All.”

Co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and UN-Habitat, the event brought together around 400 participants, including government representatives from China and abroad, mayors and city delegations, experts and scholars, and delegates of international organizations, of whom nearly 100 were international guests from more than 30 countries and regions. Anacláudia Rossbach, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of UN-Habitat, attended and delivered an address.

The conference announced the official launch of the Initiative to Deepen Cooperation on World Cities Day Public Goods. Under the initiative, China and UN-Habitat will improve regular cooperation mechanisms, broaden and diversify cooperation areas, and jointly advance platforms including the SDG Cities Global Conference, effectively promoting exchanges, mutual learning and practical cooperation in urban sustainable development.

The conference released the Chinese edition of the Shanghai Manual: A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century – 2026 Annual Report  and the 2026 UMF-Shanghai Adapted Index Application Report, along with thematic application reports. Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, secretary-general of the Bureau International des Expositions, and Edlam Abera Yemeru, director of the Knowledge and Innovation Branch of UN-Habitat, shared the outcomes of the Shanghai Manual, the Shanghai Adapted Index Application Report and related thematic application scenario reports via video.

At the plenary session, Marcin Krupa, mayor of Katowice, Poland – a winning city of the 4th Cycle of the Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities (Shanghai Award) – delivered on-site remarks, while Stefany Maca Millán, undersecretary for Land Management and Housing Supply in Office of the Mayor of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, shared the city’s experience in sustainable urban development via video.

Jointly established by UN-Habitat and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government in 2022, the Shanghai Award attracted applications from 92 cities in 34 countries in its fourth edition. Following international review, five cities were recognized: Addis Ababa of Ethiopia, Jingdezhen of China, Istanbul of Türkiye, Santiago de Cali of Colombia and Katowice of Poland.

During the keynote session, Sébastien Vauzelle, head of the secretariat of the UN Local 2030 Coalition, and Chang Qing, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivered keynote speeches. Ana Ferreira, director of the Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability Unit of the Municipality of Mafra, Portugal, shared practical results from Mafra’s participation in UN-Habitat’s SDG Cities Programme. In the “Sustainable Cities: Youth Voices” segment, award-winning representatives of the WorldSkills Competition and the Shanghai Social Organizations Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition shared stories of young people’s participation in urban development.

As 2026 marks the launch year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, Shanghai is positioning the SDG Cities Global Conference as a high-level international conference of global influence in urban sustainable development, contributing Shanghai’s practices and experience to support more efficient, higher-quality urban development worldwide.

Held in Shanghai from November 2 to 3, this year’s conference adopts a “1+1” framework comprising the plenary session and the SDG Cities International Symposium, alongside parallel events including the Shanghai International City and Architecture Expo.

Contact person: Ms. Liu, Tel: 86-10-63074558

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