On 4-5 November 2025, the 20th Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS 2025) gathered global leaders, national policymakers, local and regional governments, mayors, and sustainability experts at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva.
In her opening remarks, Pr. Celeste Saulo, Secretary General of WMO, recalled that cooperation with national authorities and local communities can bring effective solutions to anticipate extreme heat, floods and deadly weather events. Preparing urban heat resilience plans are essential to build resilient and sustainable cities – as the example of Buenos Aires shows. The event stimulated a rich discussion among the different levels of government, addressing various issues from nature-based solutions to the use of digital technology.
The High-Level Dialogue “Invigorate innovation and leadership towards greener and smarter cities” explored how innovation, science, and technology can drive the transition toward resilient, circular, and sustainable cities. GCH co-director Duong emphasized that cities’ experiences and innovations needed to inform international debates, to ensure that States’ decisions consider the realities and the needs of cities when defining the future our climate (e.g. at COP30). Bringing together local leaders from three continents and representatives of international organizations, the High-Level dialogue highlighted practical approaches to leveraging AI, digital tools, and nature-based solutions for greener urban futures. Panelists focused on scaling local innovation, strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration, and advancing inclusive governance to achieve global sustainability and resilience goals. The local policies presented by Budapest, Dubai, Tianjin Eco-City, and Penang Island were considered as scalable good practices.
In addition, the Global Cities Hub also moderated two interesting panels on “Coastal Cities as Source and Solution” and on “Increasing Climate Resilience through Integrated Urban Heat and Water Resource Management”. These brought together cities, regions and international organizations to explore local challenges and solutions to plastic pollution on the one hand, and urban heat and water scarcity on the other.
As an outcome of the Global Forum on Human Settlements, the Geneva Declaration on “Advance Local Innovation and Collaboration for a Resilient and Sustainable Urban Future” was adopted. It calls upon all countries to “leverage inclusive, enforceable, and participatory urban policies to promote coordinated multi-level governance systems” and “to adopt inclusive approaches for financing large-scale innovation at the local level, ensuring policy coherence across local, regional, and national tiers—a process that should be guided by the “whole-of-government” approach—to enable effective implementation among all sectors and levels of government and successfully advance the 2030 Agenda.”
As the Geneva Declaration puts it: “We emphasize the urgent need for collaborative governance that unites local actors, national institutions, and international partners. True collaboration must go beyond infrastructure and financing. It must embed inclusiveness, equity, and climate justice, ensuring that vulnerable groups and communities are not left behind in the global transition.”