Rio de Janeiro, 30 September 2022—The fifth- and biggest – edition of the Urban Circuit is about to kick off in Brazil and lined up are more than 190 events spread across the country.
The Urban Circuit was created by UN-Habitat to support and give visibility to events that promote the themes of Urban October and sustainable urban development all over Brazil.
The Urban Circuit 2022 will take place between 4 October and 1 November. The events will be held in person, virtual or hybrid formats. All events in the programme are free and open, as they will be broadcasted on Urban Circuit's YouTube channel.
The selected theme for this edition is "Localising the SDGs: leave no one and no place behind". The process of localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consists of implementing global development agendas at the local level, such as in cities and territories.
"During the Urban Circuit, we will talk about how the SDGs can be integrated into public policies in cities in many different ways. For this, we will discuss all the steps that comprise this process, understanding what these goals are, how they can be incorporated into city planning, how to execute and finance new initiatives and, finally, how to monitor their results. With more than 190 events in the programme, we will certainly have multiple examples that adapt to the most diverse urban realities in Brazil", celebrates the UN-Habitat National Officer for Brazil, Rayne Ferretti Moraes.
The events are divided into five thematic lines, each related to a dimension of the localization of the SDGs: 1) Know; 2) Plan; 3) Participate & innovate; 4) Finance & implement; and 5) Monitor & evaluate.
Urban Circuit - The Urban Circuit is the main initiative of UN-Habitat to promote Urban October, a month dedicated to discussing how to make life in cities better for all. The period officially starts with the World Habitat Day and ends with the World Cities Day.
The initiative promotes the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular goal 11, which aims to make cities and human settlements more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. It also seeks to debate the principles of the New Urban Agenda, responsible for defining new global standards for sustainable urban development and contributing to rethink how we plan, manage, and live in cities.
In its four editions, Urban Circuit has supported more than 600 events, making Brazil the leading country to celebrate Urban October worldwide. In 2021, a total of 179 events gathered 797 panellists, 30,000 views, and about 14,000 spectators.