Shanghai Municipal Commission of Housing, Urban-Rural Development and Management
SHANGHAI, Oct. 20, 2025 — The 2025 SDG Cities Global Conference is scheduled to take place at the Grand Halls in Shanghai from October 26 to 27, serving as a significant event to commemorate World Cities Day.
Co-hosted by UN-Habitat and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and organized by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Housing, Urban-Rural Development and Management, this year’s conference will focus on exploring innovative developments for people-centered smart cities.
The conference agenda will be multi-faceted, featuring one plenary session, three themed sessions, and a series of special sessions and side events. To enhance the overall experience, parallel supporting activities will also be held, including the Shanghai International City and Architecture Expo, along with various public engagement initiatives designed to encourage broader participation.
Launched in 2021 by UN-Habitat and Shanghai as a World Cities Day program, the SDG Cities Global Conference has quickly evolved into an influential event both in China and internationally.
This year marks the fifth edition of the conference, with a theme carefully crafted to integrate national strategies with global consensus. It not only resonates with World Cities Day’s long-standing overarching theme of “Better City, Better Life” and its 2025 annual focus on people-centered smart cities, but also aligns with two critical guiding frameworks: the objective of building an “innovative, livable, beautiful, resilient, civilized, and smart modern people-centered city” as outlined at China’s Central Urban Work Conference, and the core targets of UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029.
Reflecting this alignment, the conference’s structure adheres to the guiding principles of the Central Urban Work Conference and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This design underscores Shanghai’s unique role as a bridge connecting international urban development agendas with China’s practical experiences.
Each component serves a distinct role: the plenary session provides strategic insights from high-level and visionary experts; the themed sessions offer deep dives into critical issues and foster cross-sector collaboration; and the special sessions aim to broaden participation and engage diverse stakeholders on niche topics.
The event will highlight two categories of urban sustainability innovations. It will continue to release the World Cities Day international public goods from Shanghai and UN-Habitat, alongside a debut showcase of advances in urban construction and management, collectively illustrating the progress from concept to practice.
Source: Shanghai Municipal Commission of Housing, Urban-Rural Development and Management
CONTACT: Contact person: Ms. Liu, Tel: 86-10-63074558
