On the eve of the resumed second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, the UN-Habitat organized the 2025 Global Stakeholder Forum, which mainly discussed two key issues of the UN-Habitat Assembly: the proposed UN-Habitat Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and the Stakeholder Engagement Policy. The forum produced a Stakeholders’ Declaration to the UN-Habitat Assembly with recommendations for the assembly. Ms. Jin Lan, founder and executive director of the International Mayors Communication Centre (IMCC), served as a member of the Drafting Committee for the outcome document of the Global Stakeholder Forum and the only representative of China in the committee, which marked that this NGO born in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and jointly nurtured by Shenzhen and Hong Kong once again had the honor of standing on the world’s highest stage. Jin Lan, also known as Lily Jin, led a team to participate in the work of the committee and the forum during the entire process, made many suggestions to the Stakeholders’ Declaration to the UN-Habitat Assembly, and expressed the willingness to mobilize Chinese companies and NGOs to support events such as the World Urban Forum, receiving a positive response from the participants.

Jin Lan (left) attends the forum as a member of the Drafting Committee. On the upper right and lower right are Pablo Fernández M-D and Amanda (Mandy) Entrikin, co-chairs of the Drafting Committee.

The United Nations Habitat Assembly serves as the governing body of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). It is the highest decision-making body on sustainable urbanization and human settlements within the UN system, and comprises 193 UN member states. The assembly convenes once every four years. Its second session was held in June 2023 at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). The resumed second session takes place at UNON from May 29 to 30, 2025, primarily aiming to conclude outstanding matters carried over from the adjourned session. From May 22 to 23, the 2025 Global Stakeholder Forum was held online. Under the leadership of the Drafting Committee for the outcome document, the forum achieved an important outcome, namely the Stakeholders’ Declaration to the UN-Habitat Assembly, which contained key messages and recommendations for the resumed second session of the assembly.

A total of 247 forum participants from around the world indicated interest in serving on the Drafting Committee. An internal selection process was guided by the need for balanced representation across stakeholder constituencies, regions, gender, and areas of expertise. Internal advisory groups were also invited to nominate candidates to ensure broad and diverse representation. Finally, 15 members of the committee were determined, including Jin Lan, executive director of the IMCC and founder of the Open Green City Laboratory (OGCLab). The IMCC, an NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, has long been committed to advocating, promoting and practicing sustainable development through various means. From 2018 to 2025, the IMCC promoted the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in a comprehensive and systematic manner through its official website and the OGCLab’s WeChat public account “Green City GCPS” in Chinese and English. Jin was the producer of this large-scale publicity project. Her appointment as a member of the Drafting Committee for the outcome document of the 2025 Global Stakeholder Forum reflects the international community’s recognition of the efforts made by Chinese NGOs such as the IMCC for sustainable development.

A scene of the forum.

A scene of the forum.

Staff at the offices of the UN-Habitat Secretariat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya worked online with the 15 Drafting Committee members from around the world to ensure the smooth running of the forum.

Jin contributed a number of suggestions for the content of the Stakeholders’ Declaration to the UN-Habitat Assembly, covering partnerships, digital governance capabilities, artificial intelligence popularization, digital divide, public space construction, financial innovation, and volunteer team building. Drafting Committee Co-Chair Amanda (Mandy) Entrikin wrote back to her and said, “Thank you so much for your contributions and for your effort to ensure representation from your experience in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.” She also invited Jin to attend the forum’s breakout sessions.

Led by Jin, the IMCC team participated online in the two meetings of the Drafting Committee as well as the plenary sessions and breakout discussions of the forum.

Jin Lan (third row, second from left) attends a meeting of the Drafting Committee.

Jin Lan (second from right) participates in the forum’s breakout discussions.

Kirk Lan, chief editor of the OGCLab’s WeChat public account “Green City GCPS,” participated in the work of the Drafting Committee and the forum as Jin’s assistant, providing English and technical support. Speaking at a summary meeting before the closing of the forum, he said, “Governments and NGOs can do a lot in building partnership, alliance, and digital capabilities. With more support from the UN-Habitat, we can mobilize more Chinese enterprises and NGOs to donate to support the World Urban Forum and other events, for example, providing a remote conference device and so on.” Pablo Fernández M-D, co-chair of the Drafting Committee, praised that this was very useful information and resonated with the sessions.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Marinheiro Centeno Rossbach was moved and shed tears several times when she delivered a speech at the closing session of the forum. She said that, as a very emotional person, she was deeply moved by the great enthusiasm and contributions of the participants.

Anacláudia Marinheiro Centeno Rossbach sheds tears of gratitude.

Some participants have a group photo taken online when the forum comes to an end.

Established in Hong Kong in August 2005, the IMCC is headquartered in Shenzhen. It is an international organization run on the basis of cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It has been promoting exchanges and cooperation between cities for 20 years. Its purpose is to convey cultures and promote the sustainable development of the city. Its mission is to integrate the world’s urban cultures, build a community with a shared future for mankind, protect the earth, create a better tomorrow for cities, and realize the UN’s poetic vision of human habitat.

Over the years, the IMCC has actively maintained communication and cooperation with the UN-Habitat.

In April 2014, the seventh World Urban Forum (WUF) of the UN-Habitat was held in Medellin, Colombia. More than 15,000 urban decision makers and urban stakeholders from 164 member states around the world attended the event. The World Urban Campaign (WUC), led by then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and initiated by the UN-Habitat, signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Global Mayors’ Forum under the IMCC, making the Global Mayors’ Forum a member of the Steering Committee of the WUC.

As a member of the Steering Committee of the World Urban Campaign, the Global Mayors’ Forum under the IMCC displays its logo that ranks second.

In May 2019, Nicholas You, co-chair of the organizing committee of the Global Mayors’ Forum under the IMCC, accompanied Jin Lan, founder of the IMCC, to attend the first session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly in Nairobi. More than 3,000 representatives and exhibitors from the governments of UN member states, various UN departments, NGOs, enterprises, and local governments worldwide participated in the assembly.

In June 2023, the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly was held in Nairobi, with more than 5,500 representatives from 137 countries attending. Jin participated in the session online through a dedicated link.

In the future, the IMCC will continue to work hand in hand with global stakeholders to share the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s examples and provide China’s wisdom on the way to achieving sustainable development goals!