(Yicai) Oct. 22 -- Shanghai will co-host China’s main events for World Cities Day 2024 between Oct. 29 and Nov. 2, the municipal government announced at a press conference today.

Weihai in northern Shandong province will be the other Chinese host city, while the main global events will take place in Alexandria, Egypt.

World Cities Day, initiated by the United Nations in 2014, falls on Oct. 31 each year and is intended to promote interest in urbanization and foster global cooperation in dealing with the challenges of sustainable urban development, according to the World Health Organization. 

The events in Shanghai this year will comprise an opening ceremony, Shanghai International City and Architecture Expo 2024, seven side conferences, and World Cities Day-themed public-interest activities covering Shanghai's 16 districts.

Shanghai has pushed for broad participation at these events, said Liu Qianwei, chief engineer at the Shanghai branch of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

For the first time, Shanghai will invite representatives from grassroots and public-interest bodies from the districts to attend the opening ceremony and take part in the events, along with representatives of diplomatic missions in China, entrepreneurs, and academics.

As the birthplace of World Cities Day, Shanghai has worked closely with UN-Habitat, the United Nations agency for human settlements, over the past decade. Key research achievements have been named after Shanghai, including the Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, also known as the Shanghai Award.

The Shanghai Award will be presented outside of China in Alexandria for the first time this year.

There is also the Shanghai Manual: A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century and the Shanghai Voluntary Local Review, providing cities worldwide with experiences and examples they can learn from.

Shanghai will shortly release the Chinese edition of the 2024 Shanghai Manual as well as an updated Shanghai Voluntary Local Review, Liu noted.

Editor: Tom Litting