Past Events
World Habitat Day is held on the first Monday of October and launches Urban October. The day centers around the global observance, which is held in a different country each year with keynote speakers and roundtable discussions focused on a specific theme. World Habitat Day was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme ‘Shelter is…
World Cities Day brings Urban October to an end on 31 October each year and was first celebrated in 2014. As with World Habitat Day, a global observance is held in a different city each year and the day focuses on a specific theme.On 31 October 2023, the Global Observance of World Cities Day, under the theme Financing sustainable urban future for…
In October of 2023, UN-Habitat explored the theme of economic development as a vehicle for productive futures. Taking into consideration that urbanization is intertwined with several existential global challenges, it is urgent for cities and subnational governments to adopt innovative approaches that will foster an optimistic scenario of urban…
World Cities Day brings Urban October to an end on 31 October each year and was first celebrated in 2014. As with World Habitat Day, a global observance is held in a different city each year and the day focuses on a specific theme.
Urban October was developed to raise awareness, promote participation, generate knowledge, and engage the international community in creating a better urban future. Every October UN-Habitat, the United Nations agency for cities and towns, and partners organize a month of activities, events, and discussions on urban sustainability. Urban…
World Habitat Day was held on the first Monday of October and launched Urban October. The day centered around the global observance, which was held in a different country each year with keynote speakers and roundtable discussions focused on a specific theme. World Habitat Day was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme ‘Shelter…
The Global Observance of World Habitat Day 2021 was held in the capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé, on 4 October.
Urban October ended with worldwide celebrations of World Cities Day on 31 October. The theme for World Cities Day 2021 was Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience and coincided with the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference COP 26.
More than 50 events took place to mark World Cities Day including in China, Mexico, India, USA, Benin…
During Urban October this year around 520 online, hybrid and physical events focused on improving life in our cities and towns took place around the world.
The month began with World Habitat Day 2021 on Monday 4 October focused on Accelerating urban action for a carbon free future. Over 55 events took place including in the USA, Korea,…
Urban October is an opportunity for everyone to be part of the conversation about the challenges and opportunities created by the fast rate of change in our cities and towns. Each October, everyone interested in sustainable urbanization from national and local governments to universities, NGOs and communities is encouraged to hold or participate…
The theme of World Cities Day 2020 was Valuing our communities and cities. There were 78 events in 39 countries and 70 cities with the first Global Observance of World Cities Day in Africa hosted by Nakuru, Kenya with live links to China and Malaysia.
Every October, UN-Habitat and partners organize a month of activities, events and discussions on…
The theme of World Habitat Day 2020 was Housing For All: A better Urban Future, and the Global Observance was hosted by the city of Surabaya, in Indonesia.
World Cities Day 2020 was successfully celebrated across the globe on Saturday 31 October. There were over 60 events including in Nakuru, Nairobi, Cairo, New York, Penang, Shanghai,…
The theme of World Cities Day 2019 was Changing the world: Innovations and a better life for future generations with the Global Observance held in Ekaterinburg. It was held for the first time in Russia and attracted over 650 participants from a record number of countries.
The theme of World Habitat Day 2019 was Frontier technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to wealth with the Global Observance being held in Mexico City.
Urban October 2019 celebrated around the world
The 2019 Urban October, which ran from World Habitat Day on the first Monday of the month to World Cities Day on 31 October, featured a dynamic range of events raising awareness about sustainable urbanization. The World Habitat Day 2019 theme of Frontier technologies as an innovative tool to…
The theme of World Cities Day 2018 was Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities with the Global Observance held in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
The theme of World Habitat Day 2018 was Municipal Solid Waste Management held in Nairobi, Kenya on 1 October 2018. The theme was chosen as the amount of waste produced by individuals is growing daily leading to health problems and pollution and costing local authorities dearly.
During Urban October some 60 events took place both in Brazil and the USA (over 30 in New York), China hosted 40, India over 20 and 10 in Kenya. UN-Habitat appeared in 48.8 million article views with 168 editorial mentions. India dominated the media global coverage of Urban October flagship days at 41% followed by United States (13%) and the…
World Habitat Day 2016 was held on 3 October 2016, under the theme – Housing at the center.
On World Habitat Day, UN calls for putting adequate housing at centre of urban policy.
World Cities Day 2016 was of great significance to UN-Habitat, having taken place a few days after the Habitat III Conference. It was the first UN-Habitat event organized under the theme, ‘Together beyond Habitat III’, celebrating the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, and setting the pace for global advocacy for the implementation of the Agenda.…
World Habitat Day 2015 was held on 5 October 2015, under the theme – Public Spaces for All.
World Cities Day 2015 was celebrated under the theme – Designed to live together. Cities designed to live together create opportunities, enable connection and interaction, and facilitate sustainable use of shared resources. World Cities Day 2015 and its theme Designed to live together focused on promoting togetherness and harmony, making our…
World Habitat Day 2014 was held on 6 October 2014, under the theme – Voices from Slums.
The inaugural World Cities Day 2014 was celebrated under the theme – Leading Urban Transformations, which focused on redefining the urban paradigm for future generations and empowering people to contribute to creative solutions that can improve our shared urban future. It gave particular attention to innovations and new ideas that will bring about…
World Habitat Day 2013 was held on 7 October 2013, under the theme – Urban Mobility.
World Habitat Day 2012 was held on 1 October 2012, under the theme – Changing Cities, Building Opportunities. The main celebration was hosted by Embu Town in Kenya.
World Habitat Day 2011 was held on 3 October 2011, under the theme – Cities and Climate Change. The United Nations chose the theme Cities and Climate Change was chosen because climate change is fast becoming the preeminent development challenge of the 21st century. Indeed, no-one today can really foresee the predicament in which a town or city…
World Habitat Day 2010 was held on 4 October 2010, under the theme – Better City, Better Life.
World Habitat Day 2009 was held on 5 October 2009, under the theme – Planning our urban future. The United Nations chose this theme to raise awareness of the need to improve urban planning to deal with new major challenges of the 21st century.
The main celebration hosted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington D.C., U.S.A.
World Habitat Day 2008 was held on 6 October 2008, under the theme – Harmonious Cities. The United Nations chose the theme of Harmonious Cities for 2008 to raise awareness about the problems of rapid urbanization, its impact on the environment, the growth of slums, and the urbanisation of poverty as more and more people teem into towns and cities…
World Habitat Day 2007 was held on 1 October 2007, under the theme – A safe city is a just city. The theme was selected to raise awareness and encourage reflection on the mounting threats to urban safety and social justice, particularly urban crime and violence, forced eviction and insecurity of tenure, as well as natural and human-made disasters…
World Habitat Day 2006 was held on 2 October 2006 under the theme – Cities, Magnets of Hope. This theme was chosen to remind all of us that the world is witnessing the greatest migration in its history of people into towns and cities.
The main celebrations were held in Naples, Italy and Kazan, Russian Federation.
World Habitat Day 2005 was held on 3 October 2005, under the theme – The Millennium Development Goals and the City. This theme was selected to remind all of us that in the year 2000, world leaders meeting at the dawn of the new Millennium, committed themselves to launch a concerted attack on poverty, illiteracy, hunger, unsafe water, disease and…