ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Boosting pragmatic cooperation in the context of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will be among the topics at the upcoming Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS 2019), organizers said on Tuesday.
The forum, scheduled for Thursday and Friday at the United Nations Conference Center in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, under the theme "Sustainable Development of Cities and Human Settlements in the Digital Era."
It is co-organized by the GFHS, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the International Telecommunication Union, and the World Urban Campaign.
"GFHS 2019 aims to provide a valuable platform for high-level dialogue among participating stakeholders from around the world, especially from Africa region, to look for leapfrogging opportunities that digital revolution is bringing for sustainable cities and human settlements, and to share innovative policies, strategies, technologies and examples on sustainable cities and human settlements," the organizers said in a statement.
The forum "commits to strengthen advocacy, capacity building, foster new partnerships, boost urban innovation, accelerate effective actions, and support various parts of Africa and beyond, to develop inclusive green sustainable economy, to promote pragmatic cooperation in the context of the 'Belt and Road Initiative' and to drive progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 11 and the New Urban Agenda," the statement said.
"As one of the most important global congresses on the urban agenda, sustainable cities and human settlements, as well as an observance of Urban October, GFHS 2019 will be supporting campaigns on smart city and the use of digital technology for inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities," the organizers said.
The GFHS 2019 will provide inputs to the World Urban Campaign activities and through it substantively contribute to the outcomes of World Urban Forum 2020 in Abu Dhabi in February 2020, the statement said.
SDG target 11 of the UN is committed to making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, in which the New Urban Agenda has set out a shared vision for the future of the city and provides a systematic implementation plan, realistic methodology and pragmatic ideas for achieving the SDG target 11.
The forum is also expected to explore in-depth how to harness the huge opportunities arising from the digital revolution, to upgrade the planning, construction and management of cities and human settlements and make them greener, smarter and more sustainable.
Renewable energy, climate actions and urban resilience, international Green Model City Initiative, urban innovation and green growth, blockchain technology and smart city governance, prefabricated building and green smart community, family values and happiness in cities are also among the topics at the forum.
The event is expected to bring together around 500 participants, including senior officials from the UN and other international organizations, diplomatic envoys from relevant countries, government representatives and city mayors, local administrators, business leaders, investors and officers from financial institutes, and renowned experts and scholars, according to the organizers.
