World Cities Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 68/239, is celebrated annually on 31 October. The Day serves as an opportunity to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in addressing challenges of urbanization and contribute to sustainable urban development around the world. WHO joins the UN and its partners in observing this day each year, recognizing health and well-being as an integral part of sustainable and inclusive urbanization. As a growing priority for WHO, urban health is an area that requires a cross-cutting approach to tackle the triple key public health concerns in urban areas – non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and injuries and interpersonal violence.
On World Cities Day, WHO organizes various events to launch its new technical guidance and tools, disseminate advocacy messages, and raise awareness of urban health issues along with health experts and urban practitioners.
World Cities Day 2023 focuses on the theme of “Financing sustainable urban future for all” to explore how to unlock transformative investment in urban planning and achieve adequate fiscal decentralization.