The High-level segment of the First International Green Cities Conference, held during the World Food Forum 2025, produced two significant outcomes - a Communiqué and the Green City Principles and Criteria - to guide the next steps in advancing global efforts to make cities greener, more resilient, and inclusive.
Co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN-Habitat, the Conference united mayors, city practitioners, national authorities, civil-society and private-sector actors to explore practical strategies for sustainable urban development.
The Communiqué serves as a call to action for all partners to join the pledge to shape a shared future where cities, nature and people thrive together for generations to come.
It outlines five key topics to support countries and cities on their road towards becoming greener: i) Building integrated and mutually supportive urban, peri-urban and rural systems; ii) Healthy and inclusive urban environments; iii) Innovation and knowledge for transformation; iv) Finance for green, resilient cities; and v) Partnerships for impact.
The Conference also launched the FAO Green City Principles and Criteria, which provides a framework for defining, activating and recognizing integrated urban action by the FAO Green Cities Initiative.
The framework helps cities assess readiness, track progress, mobilise finance and engage citizens in shaping inclusive and sustainable urban environments. Building on the FAO Green Cities Initiative and its three pillars - urban and peri-urban forestry, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and sustainable bioeconomy - it provides mayors and local administrations with both a reference and a pathway for action to advance toward recognition as an FAO Green City.
The Conference
In his opening address to the high-level event, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu underscored the conference as a key milestone in advancing his vision, launched five years ago at the UN General Assembly, to reshape cities by placing people, urban agrifood systems, and the planet at the centre of urban development.
"From an ambitious idea in 2020, the Green Cities Initiative (GCI) has grown into a vibrant and action-oriented global network of over 300 cities. But this is only the beginning, our ultimate target is to support 1 000 cities," he noted.
The Director-General urged that the event be not only a celebration of the work and leadership to date, but also a commitment to action.
"We will hear directly from cities that have embraced the Green Cities model," he said. "From vertical farms in Asia and to greenbelts in Africa; from the community gardens in Southeast Asia or East Asia to urban forests in Europe. Cities are showing that change is possible," Qu exemplified.
Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan, FAO Goodwill Ambassador for the Near East and North Africa, delivered a keynote speech highlighting that by utilizing biophilic architecture, we can build smart cities.
Also participating in the event were Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak, Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture of Bahrain; Justine Lumumba Kasule, Minister of General Duties in Prime Minister's Office of Uganda; Edmondo Cirielli, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy; Carla Andrea Amtmann Fecci, Mayor of Valdivia, Chile; George Mwanza, Mayor of Chipata, Zambia; Liu Bing, Director General, Three North Program Bureau of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China. Anacláudia Rossbach, UN-Habitat Executive Director addressed participants through a video message.
Green Cities Initiative
Urban areas are expanding rapidly, with two-thirds of the global population projected to live in cities by 2050. This rapid growth poses significant challenges, in terms of food security, resource management, and environmental sustainability. To meet these challenges and harness the potential of cities as drivers of economic growth, integrated approaches to urban planning and design are essential with approaches that prioritize both human well-being and environmental health and sustainability.
To support cities on their path, FAO launched the Green Cities Initiative in 2020. It aims to generate tangible improvements in the health and well-being of people and their environments in 1 000 cities worldwide by 2030 by strategically integrating urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry, green infrastructure and bioeconomy practices into city fabrics.
The FAO Green Cities Network, which fosters exchanges among GCI partner cities, is expanding as a global hub for knowledge-sharing, city-to-city collaboration, cross-cutting partnerships and leadership in sustainable urban transformation.
