Workshop on Urban Safety and Security, Sustainable Development, and Human Security

On 21 February 2025, the Global Cities Hub co-organizes with UN-Habitat the workshop “Cities and Human security: Urbanisation and Housing in an unstable world”.

The workshop will address the growing human security challenges—including violent conflict, climate change, economic hardship, and persistent poverty—that increasingly impact the success of sustainable and affordable housing policies. A key focus of the discussions will be on underrepresented issues, such as the involvement of organised crime in housing and land-related crimes amid rapid urbanisation, as well as the effects of illicit economies on social cohesion and urban governance.

We will bring together selected experts and practitioners – by invitation – from across the fields of human security, urban safety, violence prevention, and peacebuilding to examine the critical linkages between urbanisation, sustainable development, and urban safety and security. The event takes place in Geneva to profit from the broad international ecosystem, because human security demands a collaborative approach, drawing expertise from a diverse range of actors including the United Nations system, Member States, local and regional governments, the private sector, and civil society.

The event will explore how housing and human security intersect at the city level, with an emphasis on multilateral organisations’ roles in building capacities to make cities safer and more peaceful. It will also explore the synergies of multilevel government cooperation between local and regional governments, states, and international organisations. The event is poised to generate critical dialogue, foster partnerships, and help shape the future of human security in an urban context.

Date: 21 February 2025
Format: Upon invitation only
Language: English