On October 2 and 9, Ms. Jin Lan, founder of the International Mayors Communication Centre (IMCC), was invited to attend online UN-Habitat’s 1st Global Stakeholder Dialogue with the Executive Director and a kick-off meeting for stakeholder engagement in the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF 13). She connected with senior UN-Habitat leaders including Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of UN- Habitat, and put forward several suggestions on the implementation path of Sustainable Development Goal 11 and the preparations for WUF 13. This marks that the IMCC has once again deeply participated in the formulation of global urban human settlement governance policies and livable city rules.

Anacláudia Rossbach, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of UN-Habitat (first row, first and second from left), and Jin Lan, founder of the International Mayors Communication Centre (first row, third from left), attend the dialogue on October 2.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of which Goal 11 is: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The World Urban Forum is the world’s premier conference on housing and sustainable urban development and UN-Habitat’s largest platform for global urban stakeholder consultation. The 13th World Urban Forum (WUF 13) will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from May 17 to 22, 2026, with the theme of “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities.”

The UN-Habitat Global Stakeholder Dialogue series, initiated in October, 2025, are premier gatherings for urban stakeholders from UN member states to participate in WUF 13. The agenda focuses on several key global development milestones, processes and strategic priorities, including the World Social Summit, COP 30, the mid-term review of implementation of the New Urban Agenda in 2026, and the global assessment of the status of progress towards SDG 11 in 2026. The series enables direct exchange between stakeholders and UN-Habitat’s senior leadership, serving as strategic moments to mobilize action on global agendas, showcase stakeholder-led solutions, and build coalitions for the inclusive and sustainable urban future that we need.

UN-Habitat’s 1st Global Stakeholder Dialogue with the Executive Director was held on October 2, marking the beginning of the Global Stakeholder Dialogue series. More than 300 people attended the dialogue, with some participants making brief speeches and exchanging views with UN Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach on UN-Habitat’s ongoing work and upcoming milestones. The main points of the speech by Jin Lan, founder of the IMCC, and her at the conference were: After researching the implementation of SDG 11 in various countries, she recommended that the implementation path of SDG 11 in cities worldwide should focus on three dimensions: coordinated policy innovation and institutional guarantees for future urban governance, planning, and construction in all countries and regions; promoting technological empowerment and infrastructure iteration; and promoting models of collaborative social governance of cities. Subsequently, the IMCC will submit a series of more detailed and specific recommendations to UN-Habitat.

Anacláudia Rossbach, under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of UN-Habitat, addresses the dialogue on October 2. In the upper right corner is Jin Lan, founder of the International Mayors Communication Centre.

Starting from October 7, UN-Habitat convenes virtual kick-off meetings for stakeholder engagement in WUF 13. These meetings provide an opportunity for stakeholder groups to set priorities and define their preferred modes of contribution. On October 9, Jin led a Hong Kong team of the IMCC to attend and speak at the kick-off meeting of international civil society organizations.

Jin Lan (right), founder of the International Mayors Communication Centre, attends the kick-off meeting on October 9.

In her speech, Jin suggested that before WUF 13, UN-Habitat should organize NGOs to hold various forums and seminars, especially soliciting various youth activities oriented towards sustainable urban development, organizing the elderly to provide their own suggestions for WUF 13, and organizing meetings for women leaders to put forward their suggestions for future cities. In particular, it is necessary to widely listen to the opinions of city decision-makers and business leaders, let them point out the innovative measures in urban development in their countries, and outline their vision for future cities. In short, urban stakeholders should clarify what kind of cities we need and how to govern cities to ensure sustainable human development.

“We can organize online and offline meetings and various initiatives for cities in China and around the world,” Jin said. “The ‘Open Green City Laboratory’ under the IMCC is preparing to organize exchanges and dialogues between Chinese city decision-makers and global urban stakeholders on topics such as livable city construction, climate change mitigation, green energy development, AI-involved urban governance, and the protection of intangible cultural heritage in cities . Our goal is to report the results of these exchanges to the WUF 13.”

Jin Lan (third row, third from left), founder of the International Mayors Communication Centre, attends the kick-off meeting on October 9.

Following the kick-off meetings, each group will participate in sessions co-led by stakeholders and UN-Habitat. The IMCC will connect with leaders of participating organizations to promote cooperation between Chinese companies and their foreign counterparts in green energy, green buildings, and urban digital governance, contributing Chinese wisdom to WUF 13.