Where life isn’t measured by walls,
but by the richness of shared spaces.
A place where quality isn’t defined by cost,
But by green spaces within reach of all.
A place where renewable energy fuels not only our lights but our hope…"
These are just a few of the verses from a powerful poem, read aloud by Sarah Syed, a student, climate activist, and UN-Habitat youth advisory board member, who set the stage for the first Quality of Life Conference on 2 November 2024 in Cairo, Egypt.
Addressing a conference room full of local leaders, policymakers, researchers, and urban experts from around the world, Sarah opened the inaugural Quality of Life Conference, organized by UN-Habitat’s Quality of Life Initiative. The two-day event, which took place during Cairo Urban Week and ahead of the Twelfth Session of the World Urban Forum, addressed the transformative potential of quality of life in urban contexts, emphasizing sustainability, community well-being, and inclusive development.
"Quality of life touches all of us, every day,” Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, underscored the impact of quality of life on sustainable urban development in her opening remarks. “The Initiative offers cities a new way to understand and improve quality of life for their communities.” She emphasized the significance of the conference as a precursor to the World Urban Forum, calling for cities to become resilient and inclusive spaces that serve all their residents, adding, “at UN Habitat, we believe this Initiative will support, and inform, the new Strategic Plan for the agency for the year 2026-2029. We also believe that the Initiative can help realize the vision set forward by the Pact of the Future, which was just approved by consensus by member states at the Summit of the Future in the last month in New York.”
Opening statements were delivered by Ms. Rossbach, Khalid bin Abdullah AlBaker, CEO of the Quality of Life Program, and Rania Hedeya, UN-Habitat’s Regional Director for Arab States, who all underscored quality of life as central to achieving inclusive urban transformation.
The first session, “The Meaning of Quality of Life,” engaged participants in an interactive exploration of what quality of life means across diverse communities, emphasizing its relevance to both individual and collective well-being. In “Envisioning the Future,” experts and youth leaders explored innovative pathways to foster inclusive urban environments. Moderated by Anna König Jerlmyr, former Mayor of Stockholm, the panel featured influential voices such as Martine Abel-Willamson, President of the World Blind Union, Sarah Sabry, from Save the Children, Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat Michal Mlynár, two youth advisory board members, and Rose Molokoane, Coordinator of the Federation of the Urban and Rural Poor. Panelists discussed how cities can address complex social issues by designing policies that prioritize well-being over process.
The conference continued with “Data for the Future,” which highlighted the role of data in addressing urban challenges. Robert Ndugwa, Head of UN-Habitat’s Data and Analytics Section, led a panel that included experts from Google and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Discussions centered on how cities can harness data to inform evidence-based decision-making for quality of life improvements. Day one concluded with “A Youth Vision of Quality of Life,” featuring young advocates and winners of an Arab Youth photo competition and a vernissage to exhibit the winning photos.
Day two of the conference opened with a musical metaphor, starting with the first screening of the Initiative’s “Urban Symphony” video, symbolizing the harmony that the Quality of Life Initiative seeks to foster in cities worldwide and followed by an engaging “tubular symphony” bringing participants together to create music.
Renowned urbanist Richard Florida delivered the opening keynote for day two virtually, emphasizing quality of place as an essential complement to technology, talent, and tolerance in driving the knowledge economy and social inclusion.
UN-Habitat Chief of Staff, Erfan Ali, followed by hosting a dialogue with H.E. Ibrahim Saber Khalil, Governor of Cairo, and Dr. Abdelkhalek A. Ibrahim, Senior Assistant to Egypt’s Minister of Housing, providing insights on the potential for resilience in urban settings. “The Quality of Life Initiative: A Global Vision,” featured Raphaelle Vignol, Global Coordinator of the Quality of Life Initiative, discussed the many nuances of quality of life with Sahar Attia, Emeritus Professor of Urbanism at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, who noted, “quality of life is not about the physical environment only, some people want lots of buzz and cars, and others prefer calm, green…it can be about access, opportunity.”
Providing an answer to the question: “How do we design a better metric to capture what quality of life means in different places?”, Kyle Farrell, Senior Urban and Regional Economist at UN-Habitat, followed with an interactive presentation “Beyond Your Typical Data Tool,” which introduced the advanced data tools designed by the Quality of Life Initiative to meet cities’ specific needs, providing participants with an understanding of how data-driven strategies can address pressing urban issues.
An interactive demonstration of the Quality of Life Initiative Platform, given by Grayson Bass, Innovation Advisor to the Quality of Life Initiative, followed, showcasing its potential as a resource for urban leaders seeking to assess and improve community well-being.
In the afternoon of day two, participants engaged in breakout sessions focused on various aspects of the Quality of Life Initiative including Q&A with pioneer cities, a demonstration of AI-enhanced workflows on the platform, and discussions on reframing city planning through a quality of life lens. Participants also explored how to join the initiative and contribute to its expanding impact in urban centers worldwide.
Participants reconvened for “Leading the Way: Success Stories from Pioneer Cities,” which highlighted successful case studies from Logan, Australia; Punaauia, French Polynesia; Udon Thani, Thailand; and Querétaro, Mexico, where city leaders have adopted quality of life strategies to create meaningful improvements in their communities. These pioneering cities demonstrated how quality of life frameworks can be adapted across various contexts, inspiring other cities to implement inclusive urban development practices.
The conference concluded with “Turning Insights into Impact,” a reflective session led by Marija de Wijn, Global Coordinator of the Quality of Life Initiative, where participants discussed how to translate the knowledge gained during the conference into concrete, actionable strategies that benefit all urban residents.
The closing session, “Commitment to the Future,” saw the announcement of new cities joining the Quality of Life Initiative. This expansion marks a significant milestone, as more cities commit to the principles of inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience to improve community well-being and equity, as the Quality of Life Initiative scales to 100 cities in 40 countries into 2025.