This year, the global observance of World Cities Day on 31 October will be celebrated in Istanbul, Türkiye, under the theme “Financing a sustainable urban future for all”.
With over half of the population living in cities today, major investments are needed in urban areas if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Earlier this year, the United Nations Secretary-General launched the SDG Stimulus, an initiative aimed at offsetting the challenging financial conditions currently faced by developing countries in financial markets. It called for scaling up financing and investment in the SDGs by at least $500 billion per year.
World Cities Day 2023 will bring together leaders of sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, the private sector and government representatives to explore how transformative investment in urban planning can be unlocked and how adequate fiscal decentralization can be achieved.
World Cities Day will bring Urban October to a close after a month of activities, events and discussions on urban sustainability. It will be followed on 1 November by a meeting of the Advisory Board of the Zero Waste Initiative, chaired by First Lady of Türkiye Emine Erdoğan.
To attend World Cities Day in person or online, register by 26 October 2023.
