On 12 and 13 October, ESCWA, in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the Global Cities Hub and the other UN regional commissions, organized the sixth meeting of the UN Forum of Mayors in Geneva. Several Arab cities participated and intervened, namely Aswan from Egypt, Ramallah from the State of Palestine, Riyadh from Saudi Arabia, and Sidon from Lebanon.
ESCWA highlighted how inclusive planning and urban resilience belonged at the center of urban development. "Today's development choices shape tomorrow's resilience; inclusion must shape how priorities are set and resources are allocated; and local leadership must be matched by the means to act," Lead of the Sustainable Urban Development Portfolio at ESCWA Sukaina Al Nasrawi underscored in her closing remarks.
The Forum focused this year primarily on the local implementation of key targets of SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and explored the role of innovation and creativity in advancing sustainable urban development. It brought together more than 400 mayors from around the world, who exchanged experiences, shared good practices, and adopted an outcome document reflecting shared priorities, and emphasizing the essential role of local governments in delivering a sustainable future.
VLRs as a Process and Pathway to Implementation
To track the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), local and regional governments have been resorting to voluntary local reviews (VLRs) as a key tool to help them translate the international framework into reality on the ground.
On 13 October, ESCWA also partnered with Global Cities Hub, UN-Habitat and the Swiss Confederation as well as the four other regional commissions to organize a side event under the theme "VLRs as a Process and Pathway to Implementation".
The event explored how cities could translate VLR findings into policies, projects and investment, strengthen links with national planning and voluntary national reviews (VNRs), and advance peer learning across regions. From the Arab region, Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia presented its journey in developing two VLRs.
