At COP28 in Dubai, UN-Habitat promoted the role of cities in addressing climate change. UN-Habitat co-hosted key events, showcased projects, announced partnerships, and launched initiatives including: 

  • Co-hosting the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, and supporting the Local Climate Action Summit, highlighting the role of cities in addressing climate change, culminating in an Outcomes Statement.
  • The call for climate action through transformative urban planning launched by leading organizations including UN-Habitat, C40 Cities, Urban Partners, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and enhancing the Our City Plans toolbox through climate change and infrastructure modules.
  • The partnership on the Water as Leverage initiative announced during COP28 between UN-Habitat and the Government of the Netherlands, bringing together stakeholders to develop urban water projects.
  • The next Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C2024), in partnership with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), announced to take place in Montreal from 10 to12 September 2024.
  • UN-Habitat and the Development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) signed a Letter of Intent showing dedication to forge ongoing collaboration for the New Urban Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
  • The Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) highlighted the pivotal role of water and sanitation in city resilience, climate response, energy, clean water access, and ecosystem preservation. The emphasis was put on affordable nature solutions for cities, prioritizing vulnerable communities, and backing UN-Habitat’s flagship programme on urban resilience.
  • The launch of the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda Working Group on Urban Water Resilience, where UN-Habitat worked in two sub-working groups on utility resilience and basin-scale planning. 
  • The partnership with the Waste to Zero initiative launched at COP28.
  • UN-Habitat being designated the key agency to facilitate and support the observance of World Cleanup Day (20 September).

Many of these key moments took place at the Multilevel Action and Urbanization Pavilion, co-convened this year between UN-Habitat and the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA)/ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, hosting over 50 events and drawing nearly 2,000 attendees.