Sustainable urban development
Commission reports on progress under global commitments for sustainable urban development
15 months ago the EU and its partners put forward three commitments which contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. They are part of the New Urban Agenda, also presented 15 months ago. Each of these commitments has a specific scope, expected achievements and deliverables.
Today at the World Urban Forum in Malaysia, the Commission takes stock of what was achieved under these three commitments.
Significant progress has been achieved under these three commitments since they were presented at the UN Habitat III conference in October 2016, in order to harness the power of rapid urbanisation. City-to-city cooperation is now flourishing across continents, important steps have been taken towards a single definition of cities at global level and the EU is showing the world the way to sustainable urban development with the ongoing implementation of its Urban Agenda for the EU.
Concretely, 3 action plans out of 12 have already been drawn up under the Urban Agenda for the EU, on urban poverty, the integration of migrants and air quality. They include policy recommendations, good practices and projects to be replicated across the EU and in the world. All the action plans are expected to be completed by end 2018.
Beyond the thematic action plans, the methodology of the Urban Agenda for the EU can inspire reforms in the way cities are governed across the globe; it puts an on an equal footing cities, businesses, NGOs and representatives from Member States and EU Institutions, for an integrated and balanced approach to sustainable urban development.
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