🤝 Connecting Local, National and International to Strenghten Decentralized Development Cooperation 📅 On 22–23 September 2025, the Global Cities Hub took part in an OECD–German workshop in Berlin on “The impact of #decentralized #development #cooperation (#DDC) on local governance and #SDG outcomes”

🌍✨ The countdown is on for the 5th UN #ForumOfMayors! 🗓️ 🔍 This year's focus: #SDG3 - Good #Health #WellBeing, #SDG5 - #GenderEquality, #SDG8 - Decent #Work and #EconomicGrowth

🤝 Thanks to our speakers & audience at the Geneva Urban Debate “Measuring Quality of Life in #Cities: Connecting Local Action & Global Agendas” 🔍 We explored the #QualityOfLife Initiative and how it supports #GlobalAgendas with insights from UNDP, WEF & the GHRP.

🤖 On 15 Sept, the GCH moderated “Scaling People-centred Smart City Solutions” at @itu.int Forum on Connected by Design. LRGs & international orgs explored how Digital Public Infrastructure drives inclusion, resilience & sustainability. #SmartCities #DigitalInfrastructure #Cities #Regions

🌍✨ The countdown is on! The 5th UN Forum of Mayors is almost here 🗓️ Mayors from across the globe will gather in Geneva under the theme “Cities Shaping the Future.” Their voices matter more than ever! 📢 🔗 Learn more: globalcitieshub.org/en/the-forum... #ForumOfMayors #CitiesShapingTheFuture

🌍 The 80th #UNGA opens 18 Sept with a record number of world leaders. 📖 The SG’s report calls for stronger engagement with cities & regions. 🔑 GCH believes the way forward is to strengthen the UN Forum of Mayors. 🔗 globalcitieshub.org/en/un80-reth... #UN80 #Cities #Regions #Multilateralism

🌍 What is the Global Cities Hub? 🏙️ How do we connect cities to the multilateral system? ✨ And what strategies drive our work? 🎥 Our new corporate video is out now — watch here ⬇️ 🔗 Read more ➡️ globalcitieshub.org/en/what-we-do/ #cities #regions #UrbanDiplomacy #Multilateralism

📢 TWO WEEKS TO GO! Join us, UN-Habitat and the Quality of Life Initiative for a Geneva Urban Debate focused on: 💡 ❇️ understanding the Initiative and measuring quality of life in cities ❇️ exploring synergies with LRGs 📅 18 September 2025 🕚 11:00 CEST 📍 Online 🔗 globalcitieshub.org/en/measuring...

💡 How can we improve our quality of life? 🤝 The Quality of Life Initiative aims to: ❇️ understand urban priorities, needs, and aspirations ❇️ establish quality of life as a unifying concept across local and global agendas ❇️ equip local leaders with knowledge and tools to enhance quality of life

🌍🌱 The INC-5.2 negotiations concluded in Geneva this morning. The final stages drew significant media attention — and some confusion. Here are the essentials: #INC5 #PlasticsTreaty

🌡️ Today the sky looks like a plastic bag: 37 degrees in Geneva... and hard to imagine how much hotter it is in Southern Europe, not to mention other affected continents. 📍 Did you know that heat also comes from plastics? They are HUGE producers of CO₂ including through incineration!

On 23 July, the GCH, alongside UN OHCHR, the Geneva Human Rights Platform, and @uclg.bsky.social , convened a full-day workshop: 🔹 “Enhancing national reporting and implementation of human rights through coordinated engagement at the local and regional levels: the role of NMIRFs.”

🌍 Today, 24 July 2025, is Earth Overshoot Day. This means that humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services from now to the end of the year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in 2025. 🌱 #MoveTheDate #EarthOvershootDay #sustainability #environment #cities #regions

🤝 How can local and regional governments (LRGs) be better involved in human rights mechanisms? ❇️ Join us to exchange good practices, challenges, and progress in the participation of LRGs, including through NMIRFs 📅 23 July 2025 🕙 10:00-12:00 & 15:00-17:00 CEST 📍 Palais des Nations, Geneva & online

"Local & subnational governments are on the frontline of plastic pollution,” stresses Anh Thu Duong of @globalcitieshub.org. Calling for a whole-of-government approach, she urges #INC5.2 to explicitly recognize cities' roles & equip them with the means to act.

🤝 The 2025 Local and Regional Governments Forum (LRGF) and the Special Event of the @local2030.bsky.social are taking place today at the High-level Political Forum on #SustainableDevelopment ( #HLPF ) in New York. The #SDGs under review are SDG 3, 5, 8, 14 and 17.

Activities on the sidelines of #PlasticsTreaty INC sessions help in shaping global response to #BeatPlasticPollution. Join the event highlighting activities in margins of #INC5.2 & showcasing the engagement of #GENeva & beyond. 📅 17 July, 15:00 CEST ▶️ tiny.cc/GEN17Jul25

❇️ The GCH was proud to contribute to the discussions at the AI for Good Summit and the WSIS+20 High-level Events in Geneva.

✨ Join the Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to #EndPlasticPollution for a webinar ahead of #INC-5.2. This webinar will be an opportunity to reflect on the negotiations and discuss the next steps and what is to come! 📅 15 July 2025 🕙 09:00 & 17:00 CEST 📍 Online

❇️ The GCH was proud to contribute to the discussions at the AI for Good Summit and the WSIS+20 High-level Events in Geneva. 🎙️ The Smart City Leaders’ Talk discussed how smart cities can contribute to facing climate emergencies in a people-centered way.

Our co-director, Kamelia Kemileva, will moderate a session at the AI for Good Summit! "Citiverse: AI-Powered Virtual Worlds for Resilient, Smart and Inclusive Cities", part of "AI & virtual worlds: Building the cities and governments of tomorrow" 📅 9 July 2025 🕘 09:00-12:15 CEST

❇️ Last Monday, 30 June, the GCH hosted a reception at Villa Rigot to mark the adoption of the report of the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (#UPR) of Italy. The reception was co-organized with the Permanent Mission of Italy and in collaboration with the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

📢 On 30 June – 2 July 2025, Global Cities Hub attended the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (#FFD4) in Sevilla to promote the localization of financing for development and better access of LRGs to national and international financial resources. #FinancingOurFuture

We are excited to introduce in this 🧵 the speakers for our Smart City Leaders’ Talk on "Safe smart cities and Climate Frustration" at #WSIS+20. 📅 8 July 2025 🕑 14:00-15:00 CEST The event is co-organized by the GCH, WeGO and @itu.int . 🔗 Read more ➡️ globalcitieshub.org/en/world-sum...

📢 The Global Cities Hub is thrilled to share the Smart City Leaders’ Talk on "Safe smart cities and Climate Frustration" taking place at the WSIS+20 High-level Events week. 📅 8 July 2025 🕑 14:00-15:00 CEST

🏦🤝🏦 We were delighted to gather urban focal point colleagues from different international organizations in #Geneva. The GCH aims to connect LRGs and International Organizations to strengthen #inclusive #multilateralism.

🌍 From Paris to Belém: Cities Leading the Climate Fight On June 23, the Global Cities Hub participated in the Mayors’ Summit organized by Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Ville de Paris, to mark 10 years since the Paris Agreement and to look ahead to COP30, taking place in December 2025 in Belém, Brazil.

🦠 New Pandemic Treaty: the Last Mile will be critical! 90% of reported COVID-19 cases occurred in urban areas. LRGs led efforts to mitigate, recover, and rebuild. What opportunities does the new Pandemic Treaty give LRGs to better prevent, prepare, and respond to future pandemics?

📢 Happening tomorrow! Join us, Building Bridges and SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance to hear from Mauricio Rodas and Karen Hitschke on how to make international finacial institutions better respond to the needs of LRGs for sustainability. 🔗➡️ globalcitieshub.org/en/what-to-e...

Yesterday the GCH General Assembly appointed as new President Ms. @christinakitsos.bsky.social , Deputy Mayor of the City of Geneva. We are looking forward to working with her to ensure that local and regional governments become actors in international processes! 🏦🤝🏘️

📢 Happening tomorrow! GCH co-director Anh Thu Duong will be joined by Graham Alabaster (UN-Habitat) and by @pritipatnaik.bsky.social, Founding Editor of @genevahealthfiles.bsky.social, to understand the new pandemic treaty, its key issues, and the implications it holds for LRGs. 🔗 Register ⬇️

🏦💶💵💴💷🏦 Interested in understanding how the international financial system can be reformed so that the needs of local and regional governments are better served? 📢 Look no further! Join us, Building Bridges and SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance for this online webinar. 🔗 Register ⬇️

📢 Less than a week to go! Join us and UN-Habitat for a discussion on the new @who.int Pandemic Treaty and its key implications for LRGs with @pritipatnaik.bsky.social, Founding Editor of the @genevahealthfiles.bsky.social. 🔗 Read more and register ➡️ globalcitieshub.org/en/global-he...

🌍 Resilience starts at the local level — and the message from Geneva is clear: Local and Regional Governments must be at the heart of disaster risk reduction. 💪🏽🏘️

Underscoring the implementation aspects of the #PlasticsTreaty, Kamelia Kemileva of @globalcitieshub.org calls for the treaty to use a concrete & local-based language, as local governments often shoulder the burden of managing the social consequences of the implementation.

🌱 This morning, 5 June, the Global Cities Hub joined the @genevaenvironmentnetwork.org and the other actors of International Geneva to celebrate #WorldEnvironmentDay. We highlighted the key role of local and regional governments (LRGs) in fighting plastic pollution, this year's WED theme.

Today, 5 June, it's #WorldEnvironmentDay! 🌱 The 2025 World Environment Day is hosted by the Republic of Korea and the theme is #BeatPlasticPollution 🤝 We would like to invite the Local and Regional Governments to join us in celebrating the World Environment Day by answering a simple question:

🦠 Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, and following more than three years of intensive negotiations, States have reached a historic agreement on a new pandemic treaty under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Today, 2 June, it's #HeatActionDay! Read about how cities can be more resilient to extreme heat by cooperating and implementing innovative solutions to #BeattheHeat! ⬇️

🌡️ On Monday, 2 June, we mark the 2025 Heat Action Day. Cities are bearing the brunt of extreme heatwaves - but they are also pioneering innovative solutions to urban heat.

🌍 With climate change intensifying, 💸 fiscal space tightening, and the SDGs still far from reach 🔭, how can financing for development become more effective? Join this online webinar co-organized by the Global Cities Hub, Building Bridges and SDSN Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance.

How can cities better adapt to extreme heat? 🌡️ Our event ahead of Heat Action Day on how Cities can Beat the Heat is TOMORROW, 27 May at 14:00 CEST. 🔗 Read more and register below! #HeatActionDay #BeatTheHeat! #extremeheat #heat #heatwaves #cities #regions #government #local

🏦 Excellent discussion on ‘Multilateralism, Democracy & Human Rights’ in the UN. The dialogue on strengthening democratic resilience through UN Human Rights mechanisms explored how to make sure that democracies deliver. #multilateralism #UnitedNations #UN #UNHRC #democracy #humanrights

In 2025, heatwaves affected the lives of millions of urban residents around the world 🌡️ Rio de Janeiro, Brazil deployed cooling and hydration stations as temperatures rose to 44°C 🌡️ An earlier-than-usual heatwave hit New Delhi, India leading to an increase in heat-related hospitalizations

🔍 Un-Habitat, @who.int, and Global Cities Hub partnered to organize the workshop “Addressing Urban Health Challenges in a Changing World” to drive forward collaborative action on urban development and public health. ⚕️

📢 ONLY A FEW HOURS TO GO! You are still in time to register and join us, @who.int and UN-Habitat to discuss urban health challenges in a changing world: 🔗 More information and registration ➡️ globalcitieshub.org/en/addressin...

📢 ONE WEEK TO GO! Join us next Wednesday, 7 May 2025, at 13:00 CEST for a #virtual #Geneva Urban Debate on Addressing Urban Health Challenges in a Changing World, co-organized with @who.int and @un-habitat.bsky.social.

📅 Join us, the @who.int and UN-Habitat for a Geneva Urban Debate on “Addressing Urban Health Challenges in a Changing World: Guiding the UN-Habitat-WHO partnership priorities” on Wednesday, 7 May 2025, at 13:00 CEST.

🤝 Today, States have reached a historic agreement on a new international treaty to better prevent, prepare for, and respond to future pandemics. This treaty comes 5 years after the #COVID-19 #pandemic shook the world and is the result of more than 3 years of intensive negotiations at the @who.int.

To achieve the SDGs, we need a multilateral financial architecture inclusive of local and regional governments 🔜 The 4th Financing for Development Conference, which will take place 30 June - 3 July in Sevilla, Spain, presents a unique opportunity to reform financing mechanisms for development.