Fifth meeting of the UN Forum of Mayors (2025)

ABOUT

The fifth meeting of the UN Forum of Mayors will take place at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, on 6-7 October 2025, immediately prior to the 86th session of Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management (8–10 October 2025) and its ministerial segment on housing scheduled for 8 October 2025. 

The meeting will address the 2025 session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (New York, 14-23 July 2025) themes, namely: good health and well-being (SDG 3); gender equality (SDG 5); and decent work and economic growth (SDG 8); Climate finance mechanisms; Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs); Housing related challenges.   

BACKGROUND AND PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Fourth UN Forum of Mayors’ meeting took place on 30 September and 1 October 2024, a few days after the UN Summit of the Future in New York (22-23 September 2024). It gathered Mayors and Deputy Mayors worldwide to deliberate on the ramifications for local authorities of the Pact of the Future, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 22 September 2024. Mayors highlighted the ways in which the Pact is relevant to their cities and how they can contribute to implementing it. 

The Forum brought together around 400 participants representing cities and member States from across the pan-European region, North America and beyond, the United Nations Regional Commissions and specialized organizations, non-governmental organizations and academia. 

The Forum adopted the outcome statement “Local and regional governments for a renewed and inclusive multilateralism for a sustainable future”. Through this outcome statement the mayors encourage States to consider the UN Forum of Mayors as an effective model for cities from all UN regions to exchange knowledge, best practices and local solutions and to participate in the work of the UN on the localisation of SDGs as well as other global agenda and challenges; and request the secretariat of the Forum of Mayors to transmit it to the United Nations Secretary-General as a contribution to strengthening the engagement of local and regional governments in UN intergovernmental bodies and processes, including through the provision of a formal status for local and regional governments in the United Nations. 

The Third UN Forum of Mayors’ meeting, under the theme “Urban regeneration towards 2030”, took place in Geneva, on 2-3 October 2023 immediately prior to the 84th session of the Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management. Representatives of 60 cities were present and shared their experiences on urban regeneration and resilience, finding solutions that simultaneously meet the needs and aspirations of their residents, hedge against disasters and rise to the climate change challenge in a manner that supports the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Forum developed recommendations and principles related to urban regeneration inviting member States to endorse the Principles and to involve cities and facilitate their participation in relevant UN processes, to foster a renewed and inclusive multilateralism. 

The Second UN Forum of Mayors’ meeting took place in Geneva on 4-5 April 2022, back-to-back with the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD). It was attended by around 500 online and in-person participants representing cities and member States from across the UNECE region and beyond, the United Nations Regional Commissions and specialized organizations, non-governmental organizations and academia. Mayors and vice mayors from 44 cities shared their experiences in finding people-centred solutions that simultaneously meet the needs and aspirations of their citizens, hedge against disasters and rise to the challenge of climate change in a manner that ensures the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

UNECE is committed to giving cities a voice. The Day of Cities (Geneva, 8 April 2019) brought together fifty mayors and deputy mayors from the region for sharing best practices and defining a new vision for urban sustainability. The success of that event and the pressing sustainability challenges called for further and longer-term actions involving city leaders. Therefore, to continue to welcome the local decision-makers to the multilateral stage, UNECE convened the First UN Forum of Mayors’ meeting (Geneva, 6 October 2020). The Forum focused on strengthening local government preparedness and response to emergencies, climate change, and disasters. Key discussions highlighted the role of cities in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting sustainable urban development, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mayors from across the region shared experiences on resilience strategies and called for greener, fairer cities post-pandemic. The event also reinforced the importance of multilateral cooperation between local and international actors, emphasizing that cities are at the forefront of global sustainability efforts.”