Eighth International High-Level Forum Paves Way for Sustainable and People-Centered Urbanization

Beijing, 10 November –​ The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the China Center for Urban Development (CCUD) co-convened the Eighth International High-Level Forum on Urban Sustainable Development. 

The forum served as a strategic platform to localize of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, in alignment with the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan 2026-2029. Themed with “Building a Modern People-Centered City and Advancing the Sustainable Development of International Cities”, the forum facilitated a high-level exchange of innovative practices, pathways, and models to localize sustainable development and promote urban prosperity. The forum brought together over 150 participants, including senior representatives from Chinese ministries, city representatives and academic experts from 17 countries of Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Mongolia, as well as delegates from international organizations, the private sector, academia, and media. 

In his opening remarks, Mr. Gao Guoli, Director of CCUD, emphasized that modern people-centered cities highly align with the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Currently, urban sustainable development faces numerous challenges. Urban Collaboration is a key pathway toward shared prosperity. Mr. Gao proposed vibrant cities should be leveraged the innovation as the engine, smart cities grounded in green and ecological principles, efficient cities supported by modern governance, happy cities focused on human well-being, and open cities connected through international collaboration. All the factors jointly promote the modernization of urban development. Mr. Avi Sarkar, Regional Advisor for South-East Asia and Head of UN-Habitat Lao PDR acknowledged China’s significant progress in pioneering an urban development model that places people’s needs and green transition at its core. “China’s experience offers valuable, actionable insights for cities worldwide grappling with the complexities of sustainable urbanization,” he stated. “Sharing these lessons is critical as we collectively work towards a more urbanized world that leaves no one and no place behind, a central tenet of our new Strategic Plan.” 

The forum’s keynote speeches delved into the core transformative pathways essential for urban futures:

1. Internationalization is an important path for modern people's cities, emphasized by Mr. Liu Yanhua, Forer Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Science.  He stated that Industrial transformation, green and low-carbon development, as well as urban-rural linkage, innovative urban governance and urban resilience ​needs to be focused to develop modern people’s cities,
2. Mr. Qiu Baoxing, Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences stated that city, as the technical and innovative center, should create livable and business-friendly climates, improving business climates, and attract and gather innovative talents, and build a city's science and technology innovation ecosystem.
3. Mr. Yang Kaizhong, Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, Dean of the School of Applied Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Discussions underscored that China should stay guided by the new development philosophy and a holistic view of national security during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The “eco-smart entity” city should be positioned as the prime engine, the modern people-centered city as the living laboratory, and a new-quality city—green, intelligent, and resilient—as the shared goal. A governance paradigm that marries human insight with machine capability must be built, embedding a happiness infrastructure that puts people first and ensuring that every citizen shares in the fruits of urban progress.
4. Luay Ahmad, the Director of Housing Policy at the Damascus Ministry of Public Works and Housing, believed that for a systematic and coordinated mechanism needs to be established for sustainable urban development at the micro, meso and macro levels. At the micro level, the focus is on enhancing individual capabilities and innovating community governance. At the meso level, efforts are made to improve the operational efficiency of the urban system and optimize resource allocation. At the macro level, it is necessary to improve the urban governance system and build a forward-looking policy framework.

The Parallel discussion, moderated by Mr. Yang Yu, Vice President of the China Reform Daily, featured insights for people-centered sustainable urban development from Mr. Ying Sheng, Country Manager of UN-Habitat China Office, Ms. Shang Jing, Deputy Director General and Chief Planner of Research Center of Territorial Spatial Planning, the Ministry of Natural Resources and other panels. The discussion explored practical solutions and policy recommendations across key areas, including efficient and integrated land use, low-carbon infrastructure and climate technology applications, Financing sustainable urban development, urban regeneration and renewal, artificial intelligence contributed to urban planning and governance.