SHANGHAI, Oct. 21, 2025 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--
The 2025 SDG Cities Global Conference will be held at the Grand Halls in Shanghai from October 26 to 27 as a key event to celebrate World Cities Day.
Co-hosted by the UN-Habitat and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, and organized by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Housing, Urban-Rural Development and Management, this year's conference will focus on exploring innovative development towards people-centered smart cities.
The conference will feature a multi-format agenda, including one plenary session, three themed sessions, and a series of special sessions and side events. To enrich the event experience, parallel supporting activities will also take place -- such as the Shanghai International City and Architecture Expo, along with a range of public engagement initiatives that invite broader participation.
Launched in 2021 by UN-Habitat and Shanghai as a World Cities Day program, the SDG Cities Global Conference has rapidly evolved into an influential event in China and worldwide.
This year marks the fifth edition of the conference, and its theme is crafted to integrate national strategies with global consensus. It not only resonates with World Cities Day's long-standing overarching theme of "Better City, Better Life" and its 2025 annual focus on people-centered smart cities, but also aligns with two critical guiding frameworks: the objective of building an "innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart modern people-centered city" as outlined at China's Central Urban Work Conference, and the core targets of UN-Habitat's Strategic Plan 2026-2029.
Reflecting this alignment, the conference's structure adheres to the guiding principles of the Central Urban Work Conference and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This design underscores Shanghai's unique role as a bridge connecting international urban development agendas with China's practical experiences.
Each component has a distinct role: the plenary for strategic insights from high-level and visionary experts; the themed sessions for deep dives into critical issues and cross-sector collaboration; and the special sessions for broadening participation and engaging diverse stakeholders on niche topics.
The event highlights two categories of urban sustainability innovations. It will continue to release the World Cities Day international public goods from Shanghai and UN-Habitat, alongside a debut showcase of advances in urban construction and management, together illustrating the progress from concept to practice.