At WUF 10 in Abu Dhabi (February 2020) the European Union and its Member states reaffirmed their commitments for accelerating the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in the EU and beyond. They declared their tangible actions to support sustainable urban development in particular the Urban Agenda for the EU, the Global people-based definition of cities and settlements, and the International Urban Cooperation programme notably fostering global city to-city cooperation. The EU Cohesion Policy and the EU development cooperation are also major instruments to support this ambition. Many additional initiatives and resources also contribute to further the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
Stakeholder Partnership and Commitments
In 2016, the EU made 3 commitments to materialise its support to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda , that have now been delivered on : The Urban Agenda for the EU
The Urban Agenda for the EU is an integrated and coordinated approach to deal with the urban dimension of EU and national policies and legislation. It focuses on concrete priority themes within dedicated partnerships in the effort to improve the quality of life in urban areas. Based on the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, the Urban Agenda focuses on the three pillars of EU policy-making and implementation Better regulation, Better funding and Better knowledge. A report reviewing the contributions of the Urban Agenda for the EU to the New Urban Agenda has been launched in 2021.
14 Action plans have already been produced, encompassing more than 130 actions to be implemented by partners and stakeholders. You are invited to consult the Futurium website
gathering all the information, to join this community so you can contribute and make your voice heard! A new dedicated interactive website for the Urban Agenda for the EU has also been launched!
Developing a global, people-based definition of cities and settlements
The European Union, the OECD and the World Bank launched a voluntary commitment to develop a global, people-based definition of cities and settlements. This commitment will support the implementation of the new urban agenda, as well as the monitoring and the comparison of the urban Sustainable Development goal. FAO, ILO and UN-Habitat later joined this coalition.
The United Nations Statistical Commission, in its 51st session held in March 2020, officially endorsed this new global method for classifying and comparing cities, urban areas and rural areasin any part of the world. A manual explaining in detail how to apply this definition has been launched in 2021.
The International Urban Cooperation Programme
The International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme run by the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and the Foreign Policy Instruments Service (FPI), enables cities in different global regions to link up and share solutions to common problems. Through engaging in the IUC, cities have the chance to share and exchange knowledge with their international counterparts, building a greener, more prosperous future. It is an opportunity for local governments to learn from each other, set ambitious targets, forge lasting partnerships, test new solutions, and boost their city’s international profile.
The European Commission has decided to expand and reinforce this programme for its second phase. At least 148 cities from EU and non-EU countries in America, Asia and Australasia will join cooperation actions that are currently under way between 155 cities around the world. UN-Habitat held an advisory role in the programme and has analysed its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda in this report.
Support to the Urban Agenda through EU Development Cooperation
Through EU Development Cooperation, substantial funds are provided to our partner countries and cities to support urban development and their implementation of the Urban Agenda. This support takes various forms; the most important initiatives include:
- The European External Investment Plan was launched in 2017 and seeks to help mobilise finance for investments – where one of the investment windows is targeting sustainable cities. Support is provided in the form of grants for blended finance, guarantees to reduce risks of investments and various forms of technical assistance to support strengthening policy frameworks and project preparation.
- City-to-City partnerships – based on calls for proposals, the EU supports exchanges and cooperation partnerships between cities in our partner countries on the one hand and cities/stakeholders in the EU on the other – seeking to advance concrete actions in the context of integrated urban development and improved urban governance.
- Within our national programmes, the EU supports specific countries in addressing urban challenges and advance sustainable development and achievement of the SDGs. This may be cover waste management, urban transport, smart cities or affordable housing, for example.
- Support through targeted thematic facilities to strengthen specific aspects of urban development that ideally could form the basis for scaling up actions. Thematic areas of intervention include sustainable mobility (Mobilise Your City), participatory slum upgrading, resilient cities, and urban finance models
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