The 2020 China Observance of World Cities Day Held in Fuzhou

October 31, 2020 marked the seventh observance of World Cities Day. The 2020 China Observance of World Cities Day was jointly held by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China (MOHURD), the People's Government of Fujian Province, and UN-Habitat in Fuzhou. Mr. Wang Ning, Governor of Fujian Province, attended the event and officially declared its opening. Mr. Jiang Wanrong, MOHURD Vice Minister, Mr. Lin Baojin, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee, and Mr. Li Dejin, Vice Governor of Fujian Province also attended and delivered remarks. Mr. António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, delivered a video address, while Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and Mr. Nikita Stasishin, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation, also participated and spoke via video.

Opening of the 2020 China (Fuzhou) Observance of World Cities Day officially announced by Governor Wang Ning of Fujian Province

Remarks by Mr. Jiang Wanrong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of People’s Republic of China

Remarks by Mr. Lin Baojin, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee

Remarks by Mr. Li Dejin, Vice Governor of Fujian Province

The 2020 China (Fuzhou) Observance of World Cities Day featured an opening ceremony, the reading of the Fuzhou Initiative, the launching ceremony of the Shanghai Manual · 2020 Annual Report, keynote speeches, an exhibition on urban development case studies, and a series of related supporting activities. Government officials, experts, scholars, and community representatives from countries and regions including China, Russia, and Germany, as well as from international organizations, gathered to share practices and experiences in promoting high-quality urban development and improving the living environment under the annual theme “Valuing Our Communities and Cities”.

In his speech, Vice Minister Jiang Wanrong highlighted that since its establishment, World Cities Day has gained increasing global influence and played a significant role in advancing sustainable urban development and promoting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda.

Reading of the Fuzhou Initiative by Fuzhou Mayor You Mengjun in the presence of leaders from participating cities on the stage

Speech by Yang Rong, Officer-in-Charge of the Regional Programme Division and Coordinator of Chinese Affairs at UN-Habitat at the launching ceremony

The launching ceremony for the Chinese version of Shanghai Manual: A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century · 2020 Annual Report featured a keynote speech by Yang Rong, Officer-in-Charge of the Regional Programme Division and Coordinator of Chinese Affairs at UN-Habitat. He stated that the Shanghai Manual · 2020 Annual Report focuses on the World Cities Day theme of “Valuing Our Communities and Cities”. Against the backdrop of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic response, the report explores ways to better improve community and urban quality to help cities worldwide better address current urban governance challenges and achieve sustainable development in the post-pandemic era.

Launching Ceremony of the Chinese version of the Shanghai Manual · 2020 Annual Report

Since the first version of the Shanghai Manual was published in 2011, it has been revised every five years with an annual report released each year. To date, the Shanghai Manual has officially issued its sixth edition. The Shanghai Manual · 2020 Annual Report focuses on key topics in sustainable urban development, reaffirming the value of communities and cities to human life and actively responding to the calls of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda for building sustainable cities and communities. The report interprets the connection between community building and urban quality across six dimensions: society, economy, environment, urban governance, culture, and international cooperation, highlighting their profound impact on global sustainable development. Grounded in both an international perspective and China’s stance, the report vividly showcases the latest progress of cities worldwide in advancing sustainable development.

Since the launch of reform and opening up, China has achieved historic and remarkable accomplishments in promoting urbanization, though numerous challenges in the urbanization process remain. The recently concluded Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China outlined the country’s economic and social development direction for the next five years, painting a grand blueprint to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035. It emphasizes improving the living environment in urban and rural areas, perfecting the new urbanization strategy, and advancing new, people-centered urbanization. Looking ahead, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will promote urban renewal and quality enhancement, foster green urban development, improve the quality of the living environment, build complete residential communities, strengthen urban governance capacity, and focus on solving prominent urban issues.

China is ready to deepen cooperation with countries worldwide in the housing and urban-rural development, exchanging and exploring practical experiences and innovative measures to value our communities and cities, jointly addressing various challenges in the urbanization process, and building better urban homes.

In her address, Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, expressed gratitude to China for its substantial efforts in organizing World Cities Day activities. She praised the determination and actions of Chinese governments at all levels in responding proactively and innovatively to the COVID-19 pandemic, and expressed hope for continued broad and deep cooperation with China to build people-centered, healthy cities. She called on all countries to value communities and urged all sectors of society to take joint action to pursue resilient, inclusive, equitable, and green economic recovery, realizing the vision of “Better City, Better Life”.