From November 10 to 13, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) held an online write-shop in the preparation of the progress report on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, soliciting opinions on part of the report. A delegation of the International Mayors Communication Centre (IMCC) presented the inclusive and innovative practices of the Chinese city of Shenzhen at the meeting and suggested that the report should encourage developing countries to learn more from Shenzhen’s urban governance model. The moderators of the plenary session and breakout discussion expressed their gratitude for the active participation of the IMCC. This participation highlights the IMCC’s voice in global urban monitoring, reporting and agenda-setting.

UN Under-Secretary-General and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach delivers a video address at the meeting. Jin Lan, founder of the IMCC and the second chairperson of the Open Green City Laboratory (OGCLab), is third from the left at the top.

The New Urban Agenda was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in October 2016 and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in December of the same year. The New Urban Agenda mobilizes member states and other key stakeholders to drive sustainable urban development at the local level. The implementation of the New Urban Agenda contributes to the localization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in an integrated manner, and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, including Goal 11 of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

To support monitoring of the New Urban Agenda, the UN Secretary-General is mandated by the UN General Assembly to submit progress reports every four years, based on voluntary inputs from UN member states and contributions from UN agencies, local governments, civil society, and other stakeholders. The preparation of these quadrennial reports is coordinated by UN-Habitat. Two quadrennial reports have been published to date, in 2018 and 2022. The upcoming 2026 Secretary-General’s Report , serving as a special midterm review of the New Urban Agenda, will take stock of progress since 2016 , identify persistent challenges, and propose forward-looking actions to accelerate implementation of the agenda. As a complement to this report, UN-Habitat will also be publishing an extended report, which will help reflect the full depth and breadth of stakeholder input gather through reports, consultations and surveys, present more illustrative analysis, case studies and graphics, and offer a richer historical context and global reflection around the 2026 milestone – which marks both 10 years of the New Urban Agenda and 50 years since Habitat I and the birth of the urban development agenda.

UN-Habitat is currently preparing the two global reports on the New Urban Agenda and has undertaken numerous activities to help ensure a strong evidence-base for the report. On November 10, 11, and 13, 2025, UN-Habitat convened a write-shop in the preparation of the Report of the Secretary-General on the progress in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. This write-shop is a key moment in the reporting process, and insights will inform revisions to both reports.

The write-shop focused on the draft sections related to the three transformative commitments of the New Urban Agenda. Day 1 addressed “Sustainable urban development for social inclusion and ending poverty,” Day 2 was about “Sustainable and inclusive urban prosperity and opportunities for all,” and Day 3 discussed “Environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development.” Representatives from UN-Habitat, regional bodies involved in the New Urban Agenda monitoring and reporting processes, experts from academia, international organizations, and civil society, as well as stakeholders willing to join the New Urban Agenda monitoring and reporting processes, attended the write-shop. Jin Lan, founder of the IMCC and the second chairperson of the Open Green City Laboratory (OGCLab), led a delegation to the plenary session and breakout discussion on Day 2.

The insights of the work-shop will inform revisions to both global reports on the New Urban Agenda. Jin Lan is first from the right at the top.

In her speech and written suggestions, Jin expressed her hope that the report would pay more attention to the achievements of developing countries such as China. She cited Shenzhen as an example, noting its remarkable achievements in inclusive urban economic development, decent employment, technological innovation, and enhanced urban competitiveness, which provides a replicable Chinese model for the development of megacities worldwide.

A document of the meeting records suggestions from participating organizations such as the IMCC. Jin Lan is second from the right at the top of the screen.

Jin pointed out that in 2024, Shenzhen’s permanent residents increased by nearly 200,000, the largest growth among major Chinese cities. Currently, over 23 million people live in Shenzhen daily. Shenzhen’s stable economic foundation, high growth rate, and new driving forces are the “magnets” that attract people to the city. Shenzhen has innovated its mechanisms, deeply integrating affordable housing construction with industrial development, and building talent housing in areas such as manufacturing clusters. This year, Shenzhen extended the period of free accommodation for recent college graduates to 15 days. Shenzhen recruits talent globally. For long-term development, it especially focuses on general artificial intelligence talent training started at vocational high schools. Communities also cooperate with large enterprises such as Huawei and Foxconn to train various AI technology talents. Shenzhen has introduced many universities, establishing research-oriented campuses to cultivate a new generation of innovative talent. Grassroots governments in Shenzhen provide various free conditions for job skill training for unemployed women and people over 50 years old. The city’s population has an average age of 32.5 years, and youth volunteer organizations create various learning groups to promote the vigorous development of urban innovation.

Jin also said that Shenzhen had implemented the “Industry Moved Upstairs” plan since 2022, constructing high-rise factory buildings to improve land utilization, with the goal of adding 20 million square meters of industrial space annually for five consecutive years. In recent years, Shenzhen’s innovation has also been enhanced by important national-level platforms, such as the Pengcheng Laboratory, the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, and the Guangming Science City. All of these are contributing to Shenzhen’s further development.

A group photo of some of the attendees. Jin Lan is third from the left in the first row.

Jin stated that Shenzhen is a pioneering city in China’s reform and opening up, transforming from a backward fishing village into a modern international metropolis in just a few decades. Next November, the APEC summit will be held in Shenzhen, the third time for a Chinese city to host the summit, following Shanghai and Beijing. Shenzhen will once again attract global attention, and everyone is welcome to visit Shenzhen and exchange ideas, she said.