14-16 July 2026
10:00–14:30
Beirut time
Special event

ESCWA Urban Portfolio at the High-Level Political Forum 2026

Location
  • New York, United States of America
Contact information
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At the High-level Political Forum 2026, the Urban Development Portfolio of ESCWA is advancing a focused agenda that places SDG 11 localization, urban resilience, multilevel governance and regional cooperation at the centre of sustainable urban development in the Arab region. 

Through its engagement, ESCWA aims to highlight the role of cities in accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda, while supporting stronger alignment between local priorities, national development frameworks and global commitments. The Portfolio also emphasizes the use of voluntary local reviews as tools for evidence-based planning, priority-setting, and investment-ready urban initiatives, while supporting capacity development, quality of life, smart and resilient cities, and risk-aware urban planning.

As part of this engagement, ESCWA is co-organizing a high-level side event with the five United Nations regional economic commissions on “Building Resilient Urban Futures: Regional Pathways to Achieving SDG 11”. The event brings together regional commissions, member States, cities and partners to discuss how regional cooperation can bridge policy, capacity and financing gaps and help cities translate resilience priorities into actionable and investment-ready initiatives.

Outcome document

ESCWA co-organized the fifth edition of the Voluntary Local Review (VLR)–Voluntary Subnational Review (VSR) Days, where Amman and Ramallah presented their VLRs, and joined the United Nations Regional Commissions and the Regional Commissions New York Office (RCNYO) in the high-level side event "Building Resilient Urban Futures: Regional Pathways to Achieving SDG 11." HLPF 2026 also marked a global milestone in SDG localization, as the Greater Amman Municipality presented its second VLR alongside Jordan’s third Voluntary National Review (VNR) in the plenary session—making Amman the first city to align a second VLR with a third VNR.

Discussions focused on how national and local governments can institutionalize dialogue to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The joint presentation of Jordan's third VNR and Amman's second VLR in the HLPF plenary demonstrated effective multilevel governance and sent a strong message on national–local policy coherence and partnership; Amman's achievement was made possible through ESCWA's technical support, in partnership with UN-Habitat. The "Building Resilient Urban Futures" side event convened the United Nations Regional Commissions, the Secretaries-General of UCLG-MEWA and UCLG-ASPAC, and local leaders, including the Greater Amman Municipality and the Al Madinah Region Development Authority representing the Arab region, to explore how regional cooperation can bridge policy, capacity and financing gaps.

Documents

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