Third Forum of Mayors (2023)

ABOUT

At UNECE, we are committed to giving cities a voice. On 8 April 2019, UNECE organized the Day of Cities. Fifty mayors and deputy mayors from the region came to Geneva to share best practices and define a new vision for urban sustainability. However, the pressing sustainability questions do not allow us to rest on our laurels. This is why UNECE convened the first Forum of Mayors of the United Nations on 6 October 2020 and thus further opened the multilateral stage to city leaders.

The Second Forum of Mayors took place on 4-5 April 2022 at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, back-to-back with the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD). It brought together around 500 online and in-person participants representing cities and member States from across the ECE region and beyond, the United Nations Regional Commissions and specialized organizations, non-governmental organizations and academia. Mayors and vice mayors from 44 cities shared their experiences in finding people-centred solutions that simultaneously meet the needs and aspirations of their citizens, hedge against disasters and rise to the challenge of climate change in a manner that ensures the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

On 13 January 2023, the UNECE Executive Committee, at its 126th session, agreed to the establishment of the Forum of Mayors as a subsidiary body of the Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management. The 2023 Forum of Mayors Bureau was made up of the following: The Chair of the Forum of Mayors was Mr. Sami Kanaan. The Vice-Chairs were Ms. Katja Dörner and Mr. Ihor Terekhov.

The objectives and the scope of the Forum of Mayors (see ECE/EX/2023/L.4, annex) are:

a)   To allow for the participation of mayors in the UNECE and to share their city strategic plans, actions and joint initiatives for addressing regional and global challenges, including implementing SDG 11 and other relevant targets;

b)   To support the implementation of the work of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management (CUDHLM) and subprogramme 8;

c)   To promote human-centred solutions for supporting the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

d)   To facilitate the sharing of experiences from cities, including success stories and challenges, in line with the topic of the Forum and within the mandate of the Committee;

e)   To contribute to achieving coherence and complementarity between the local, regional and global levels in furtherance of a stronger, more networked and inclusive multilateral system.

The Third Forum of Mayors took place on 2-3 October 2023 in Geneva immediately prior to the 84th Session of the Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management.

Mayors, Deputies and other City Representatives met under the theme "Urban regeneration towards 2030".