World Cities Day will be celebrated today in Cuba within the framework of the 10th Urban Forum, which meets in Havana’s Convention Palace under the supervision of the National Institute of Territorial and Urban Planning.
The date was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2014 and this year the theme is “Financing a sustainable urban future for all.”
In recent decades, humanity has experienced considerable urban growth. More than half of the world’s population (54% or 4 billion people) lives in cities and by 2030 it is estimated that about 5 billion people will live in that environment.
This anniversary seeks to promote the sustainable development of cities and encourage cooperation between countries to plan urbanization, in order to maximize the capacity to generate employment and wealth, and promote social cohesion.
One of the most important challenges for metropolises is to resist natural disasters, which lately affect so many urban centers. These areas are increasingly affected by climate-related events, such as floods, droughts, heat waves, storms, landslides, among others.
In Havana, representatives and specialists from Cuba, Panama and Costa Rica debate urban policies of each country at the 10th National Urban Forum and are also attended by government representatives, civil society and academia.
The event has technical assistance from the United Nations Agency for Urban Settlements and financing from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation as part of the Urban October program.
This workshop has the motto “Building alliances for a sustainable urban future, after the echoes of the International Habitat Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean”.
