The future of sustainable development will hinge on the fate of cities, officials told a special meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Thursday, stressing that the more than half of the world’s population currently live in urban environments, a number likely to rise to nearly 70 per cent by 2050.

“The actions we take now must lead us to…a new social integration based on the principles of prosperity, transformation, adaptation, equity and respect for human rights,” said Martha Delgado, President of the UN-Habitat Assembly.

Highlighting urbanization as one of today’s great megatrends, she joined others in calling for resilient, sustainable “smart cities” that are more inclusively governed and better prepared to navigate future shocks and crises.

New Urban Agenda

Thursday’s special meeting on Sustainable Urbanization and the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda will complement a similar High-Level meeting of the General Assembly, on 28 April.

Both sessions are designed to explore how the UN system can better support countries in implementing the New Urban Agenda – a landmark plan for the world’s urban spaces, which was adopted in 2016 at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development.

The Agenda put forward standards and commitments for the planning, construction, development, management and improvement of urban areas.

It also articulated a shared vision for cities as just, safe, healthy, accessible and affordable places where all inhabitants are able to live without discrimination.

COVID-19 disparities

Opening Thursday’s meeting, ECOSOC President Collen Vixen Kelapile urged participants to examine urban issues through the lens of inequality, especially given the stark disparities illustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sustainable development will hinge on how we manage urbanization,” he said, adding that current discussions should be framed in the context of responding to COVID-19 response and the climate crisis.

Noting that 1.2 billion people in the global South currently live in informal settlements and slums, Mr. Kelapile reminded that they have long struggled to prevent disease transmissions, now including COVID-19.

Meanwhile, in the global North, dependence on welfare, where available, increased manifold during the pandemic and many people entered the ranks of the homeless. 

In response, cities have deployed creative actions and provided services in underserved areas, while new urban models are beginning to pay more attention to pedestrians and mixed land uses.

Reclamation, inclusivity, greening

UN-Habitat chief Maimunah Mohd Sharif agreed that the world’s cities have been absorbing much of COVID’ s socioeconomic impact.

However, that has often resulted in closer cooperation between national and local governments, which, in turn, has led to greater reclamation, greening and inclusive use of public space. 

Spotlighting a fresh opportunity to build on those partnerships, she said: “We can provide basic services in a more equitable manner, reduce commuting through tele-work and reduce carbon emissions by prudent use of energy.”

Upgrading slums and addressing the housing affordability crisis remain the highest priorities for countries.

Meanwhile, as cities have been forced to augment emergency social spending during the pandemic, she warned that Agenda implementation continues to be impeded by inadequate financing, further crippled by dramatic expenditure reductions.

COVID-19 demonstrated that real value comes from providing affordable service, rather than extracting profit, she added.

Accelerating progress

“Achieving the New Urban Agenda’s goals will accelerate our progress on human welfare and security globally,” said General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid.

He joined other speakers in emphasizing that, when properly managed, cities are among humanity’s most sustainable living environments.

On the climate front, adhering to the Agenda will help keep alive the goal of limiting planetary warming to 1.5°C.

Cities ‘connect the dots’

Echoing those points, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the Agenda also includes measures to secure land tenure, promote affordable housing, enhance mobility and provide services that are accessible to all.

“Cities can spearhead innovations to bridge the inequalities gaps, deliver climate action and ensure a green and inclusive COVID-19 recovery,” she said.

The deputy UN chief added that urban spaces “connect the dots” on many of today’s global challenges.

Despite war, COVID-19 and the climate crisis, all of which compound the other challenges facing young people today, the UN chief lauded youth for raising their voices and mobilizing for a better future.

“Young people are…leading the way in the fight against climate change, standing up for racial justice and gender equality…holding leaders to account…[and] are at the forefront of our efforts to secure a more inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous future for all,” Secretary-General António Guterres said on the second of a two-day forum on youth.

We have no time to lose – UN chief

Under the theme Youth 2030: Achieving the SDGs, he delivered a recorded video message to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)’s annual Youth Forum encouraging young people to “keep pushing; to keep mobilizing; and to keep bringing your ideas to the table”.

“We have no time to lose”.

More must be done

Through its Youth Strategy, the UN is committed to working, for and with young people.

Mr. Guterres thanked Jayathma Wickramanayake, his Youth Envoy, along with UN entities and country teams as well as youth organizations and Member States for working to ensure that “our actions are guided by the perspectives and energy of young people”.

“But we can and we must do more,” he underscored, reminding that the UN Our Common Agenda report proposes a series of recommendations to strengthen and deepen solidarity with youth and future generations while building more networked, inclusive and effective multilateralism.

Education summit 

The UN chief informed the meeting of an upcoming summit on Transforming Education that will convene in September.

He encouraged the participants “full and active engagement” in mobilizing political ambition, action, solutions and solidarity to transform education.

The summit will take stock of efforts to recover pandemic-related learning losses, reimagine education systems for the future, and revitalize national and global efforts to achieve the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Upgrading youth engagement

Another update the Secretary-General shared was the creation of a new UN Youth Office that will “upgrade engagement” with young people across the Organization’s work.

“Meaningful, diverse, and effective youth participation – inside the United Nations and far beyond – is essential to advancing human rights, addressing the climate crisis and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” he concluded.

‘Rescue’ the planet

The Youth Envoy thanked the thousands of young people around the world who “were leading our conversations every step of the way” throughout the Youth Forum – despite facing countless challenges and disproportionate impacts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There is no need to sugar coat it – we live in a world abundant with crises and emergencies,” said Ms. Wickramanayake.

In addition, the world remains off-track in achieving the SDGs by 2030, she stressed, calling for efforts to “rescue” both the Goals and the planet.

“We have heard time and time again…the constant demands of young people to change the oppressive systems and structures that weigh us down, that increase inequalities and trap us in a cycle of violence,” she said.

Stressing that many ideas, visions and solutions were put forward over the last two days, the Youth Envoy urged participants not to simply “pat ourselves on the back and move on” but instead to harness the moment, act and hold leaders accountable.

Youth bridge

Sharifah Shakirah, Founder and Director of the Rohingya Women Development Network, said that the 2030 Agenda was launched to end poverty and set the path to peace, prosperity and equality for all on a healthy planet.

However, “today, we live in two different worlds”, she said, noting that in one, privileged people are protected by their countries, and in the other – exemplified by where she was born – children are forced to flee violence and persecution.

Describing young people as the bridge between both worlds, she pointed out that, even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, one in five youth globally suffered from limited access to education, and one in four faced conflict.

Now, in the context of the pandemic, “young people are maintaining open communication with their communities”, including by creating grassroots organizations and providing assistance to others on the ground.

UN partners

Those sentiments were echoed by a range of UN officials, who praised the countless young people that contributed to both the Forum and COVID-19 recovery efforts at every level.

Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), welcomed the active contributions of young people, which personify the UN’s goal of “leaving no one behind.”

Meaningful engagement with youth is at the core of DESA’s work, including in climate change action and financing for development, he said, adding that his department it is always exploring new ways to engage with young people such as through its UN Youth Delegates programme.

Taking the wheel

“You have rightly demanded to be in the driver’s seat in devising the recovery efforts and a seat at the table when decisions are taken that would impact your own future,” said ECOSOC President Collen Vixen Kelapile.

After two challenging years of lockdowns, quarantines, social distancing, treatment inequities, and the loss of livelihoods for millions, he noted that young people have shared their visions of how to get back on track to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs.

Emphasizing that the pandemic affected young people most, Mr. Kelapile said it also revealed how their leadership, resourcefulness and dedication can turn major crises into opportunities for a fairer, more inclusive and more equitable future.

Against that backdrop, he added that “there is no shortage of good will, commitment and desire to act among you” and pledged the UN’s solidarity going forward.