31 October: World Cities Day

31 October marks World Cities Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly on 27 December 2013, by resolution A/RES/68/239, with the aim of raising awareness among the international community and fostering cooperation among countries to address the challenges of urbanisation and contribute to sustainable urban development worldwide.

Since its establishment, the overall theme of World Cities Day has been "Better City, Better Life," and this year's sub-theme will be "Adapting cities to climate resilience". World Cities Day is the culmination of Urban October, which this year promotes ambitious climate action in cities.

The main goals of World Cities Day 2021 are to:

• Increase awareness on climate change adaptation and urban resilience,
• Inspire effective climate action at the local level by sharing knowledge on effective urban systems resilience solutions, and
• Contribute to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement for Climate Change to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The day takes place in the context of the Human Rights Council's recent recognition of the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. It also takes place just before the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC), which will be held from 31 October to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. On this occasion, the urban community will have the opportunity to present its messages, successes and concerns from a human rights perspective.