The Global Urban Monitoring Framework was endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission in March 2022 for implementation as part of the Harmonized Global UN Systemwide Strategy for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and New Urban Agenda (NUA) and other regional, national, and subnational urban programs. It harmonizes existing urban indices and tools, including the widely implemented City Prosperity Index (CPI). The framework aims at ensuring thematic integration and interlinkages among various dimensions of development, disaggregation of data, and inclusion of groups that are traditionally excluded. It promotes working at different scales and functional urban areas, including ecological functional areas, enabling city comparability, and the possibility of more in-depth policy analysis.

The report outlines the operations of urban observatories, their 'value proposition' and their challenges in a variety of urban contexts around the world. Drawing from 32 case studies in cities equally across the Global North and South, the report offers tangible comparative evidence of the functioning of these institutions and contextualises their functions, activities, and outputs against the current COVID-19 crisis.

It emphasises the important role these institutions play in urban governance in several ways. First, urban observatories support evidence-based decision-making with robust, longitudinal data and analytical expertise, either through strategic advisory roles or through capacity-filling roles in cities where state data is weak.

Second, observatories play a key role in bringing multiple forms of knowledge to inform the evidence base used by decision-makers, advocating for recognition of the diverse urban realities experienced by city dwellers rather than a singular vision that does not account for the complexities and variance within a single locality. And third, observatories network knowledge within and between cities, making knowledge inclusive and accessible to a wide range of stakeholders and giving cities the opportunity to reference the successes and failures of other places when attending to their own challenges.

The city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, within the framework of the "Accountability Systems for Measuring, Monitoring and Reporting on Sustainable City Policies in Latin America" project has produced its first voluntary local report on Rio's progress towards SDG 11. The report presents the city's progress and its commitment to the 2030 Agenda.

The city of Trujillo in Peru, within the framework of the "Accountability Systems for Measuring, Monitoring and Reporting on Sustainable City Policies in Latin America" project has produced its first voluntary local report on Trujillo's progress towards SDG 11. The report presents the city's progress and its commitment to the 2030 Agenda.

The city of Chimbote in Peru, within the framework of the "Accountability Systems for Measuring, Monitoring and Reporting on Sustainable City Policies in Latin America" project has produced its first voluntary local report on Chimbote's progress towards SDG 11. The report presents the city's progress and its commitment to the 2030 Agenda.

The city of Niterói in Brazil, within the framework of the "Accountability Systems for Measuring, Monitoring and Reporting on Sustainable City Policies in Latin America" project has produced its first voluntary local report on Niterói's progress towards SDG 11. The report presents the city's progress and its commitment to the 2030 Agenda.

The Sustianable Cities and Communities Consultation (Consulta Cidades Sustantáveis) demonstrates an innovative way to engage citizens, create awareness of sustainable city policies and the Agenda 2030, in addition to facilitating monitoring and gathering of data to support a dialogue with local governments. The report presents the results of the implementation of the consultation in Brazil from 2019 to 2020.

This publication of Financing for Resilient and Green Urban Solutions in Beira, Mozambique in examines the status of housing and urban infrastructure and how much investment is needed. The assessment particularly considered the status of housing finance instruments and costs, as well as the roles of local and national governments in facilitating investments. The report was also anchored on determining whether the identified investment needs address resilient housing and infrastructure and assessed challenges to financing such green urban solutions in Beira, Mozambique.

It also examines the financial instruments and their impacts on the financial systems and identifies potential practical projects.