Nairobi, 1 December 2021 - As the world is realizing the unlikely achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and the difficult path ahead to address the increasing climate challenges after the Glasgow Conference (COP26), the World Urban Campaign is calling to action in cities and communities.
‘We cannot loose time any longer. We need to turn the SDG promise into action now! Cities and communities are accelerators of the SDG implementation and we need to join hands to generate more action! have declared the partners of the World Urban Campaign in their last event on climate action during COP26.The myriad of partners engaged in the WUC represents a formidable strength from the civil society, grassroots, research and academia, urban professionals, local governments, business and industries, foundations, women, children and youth groups, older persons, medias, etc. to advocate on the role of cites and communities as accelerators of the SDGs to better achieve The City We Need.
‘The City We Need’ of 2016 which they have advocated for towards the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) is no longer ‘The City We Need’ of today! More than five years later after the Conference held in Quito, the WUC partners are determined to revisit urban priorities and further elaborate solutions - put health, climate and resilience first, strengthen the rights and equity agendas, rethink the social contract, push for the next level of urban integration to ensure better urban services and housing to all. The 10 Action Areas of The City we Need Now! as defined by the WUC Partners will be their framework for advocacy towards action. The main milestones ahead in 2022 will be the 11th Session of World Urban Forum on the theme: Transforming our Cities for a Better Urban Future, to be held in Katowice, Poland, from 26 to 30 June.
In 2022, WUC partners will also launch regional action campaigns for The City We Need Now! in Africa, Asia-Parific, Europe, the Middle East and Amercas to better engage organizations and people on the ground and contextualise actions and solutions. These campaigns will help mobilise organizations towards WUF11 through action days, City Changers events, Urban Thinkers Campuses as well as on social media to disseminate key messages and solutions.
Already, some WUC Partners have announced their plans to organize a set of 11 Urban Thinkers Campuses in 2022. More proposals for UTCs, regional and local campaigns are expected.