GEORGE TOWN, PENANG, Nov 3, 2020 – Think City hosted the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Dato’ Seri Maimunah Sharif, in a live broadcast on October 31, 2020, as part of the Global Observance of World Cities Day and the launch of UN-Habitat’s ‘World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization.’

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Global Observance was a virtual event with an official Opening Ceremony featuring a keynote address by the President of the Republic of Kenya and statements by the Governor of Nakuru County, the Mayors of Ekaterinburg and Shanghai, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN-Habitat Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, among others.

The key theme that emerged from the statements was the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on our rapidly urbanising world, but also that cities hold the key to economic recovery with opportunities for innovation that have and can take place as cities adjust to developing circumstances and ‘build back better’ with more sustainable and equitable actions.

In a video message, YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, welcomed Dato’ Seri Maimunah back to the city of George Town and applauded the World Cities Report 2020.

“This report will be a seminal international reference on cities today and in the coming years to guide us not just through the fallout of COVID-19, but through the many urgent challenges faced by the world today,” he said. “Here in Penang, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with UN-Habitat on ways to broaden our measures of prosperity and refining our actions towards a more sustainable future. Many of these ideals are embedded into our Penang 2030 vision which we hope not only inspires the nation, but similar-sized states around the globe,” he added.

The ceremony, which included the launch of the World Cities Report 2020, was followed by two parallel sessions consisting of four roundtables on the topics of:

Achieving SDGs through resilient intermediate cities,
Working together to build resilient communities and cities,
Building back better communities through public space, and
World Cities Report 2020 - The Value of Sustainable Urbanization.
Think City also sponsored the publication of a special edition of the World Cities Report 2020 for distribution in Malaysia.

Hamdan Abdul Majeed, Managing Director, Think City said, “Think City is honoured to sponsor a special edition of UN-Habitat’s World Cities Report 2020 for distribution in Malaysia.

In Malaysia, urbanisation has brought many benefits, but we still grapple with transitioning from industrial to knowledge-based industries, climate change, pollution, urban sprawl and inequality. The issues we face are similar to those in other dynamic and rapidly-growing regions and it is important that we have sound and practical reference material to guide us.”

“For the past two years, Think City has collaborated with UN-Habitat. In addition to providing chapter reviews for the World Cities Report 2020, we have been collaborating on a nature-based solutions programme for climate change in Penang together with the Penang State; applying the Cities’ Prosperity Initiative to Asian cities; exploring regional housing issues; and looking at innovative ways to finance the Sustainable Development Goals and New Urban Agenda. We look forward to the continuation of our fruitful partnership,” he said.

Some of the key ideas from the World Cities Report 2020 include:

The world will further urbanise over the next decade, from 56.2 per cent of the global population today to 60.4 per cent by 2030.
Recovering urban economies is essential for lifting countries out of the global recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to achieve the SDGs.
The value of urbanisation lies in being inclusive of all groups that live in cities.
The economic growth and consumption potential of cities must support sustainable development and build resilience to climate change.
The environmental value of sustainable urbanisation cannot be realised without prioritising the needs of the most disadvantaged.
For further information or to download the report, visit: https://unhabitat.org/wcr/