IUCN President Zhang Xinsheng at the 15th Global Forum on Human Settlements

Virtual meeting, 16 October 2020 (GFHS) - The 15th Annual Session of Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS 2020) was successfully held in a virtual format as an observance of Urban October on October 15-16, 2020, with the theme being "Post-Pandemic Recovery and Transformation: Resilient Cities, Healthy Planet".

This year’s forum is supported by a record lineup of 24 authoritative organizations, including 10 UN agencies and Asian Development Bank. Some 100 distinguished speakers and commentators contributed to the in-depth discussions and analysis on a range of challenges, such as public health crisis, ecological disruption and climate change that cities have had to wrestle with so as to embark on a path to sustainable development. While providing timely scientific solutions and policy recommendations, the forum calls on the global community to accelerate green transformation in recovery.

We must promote a green recovery with nature and people at its heart. An investment in the health of our planet is an investment in our own future. In the meantime, we must adopt nature-based solutions to address pressing urban challenges, Zhang Xinsheng , IUCN President

More information

Read the full article on the 15th Global Forum on Human Settlements, published by GFHS.

The forum was addressed by Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Chairman of GFHS, Former UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative; Prof. Petteri Taalas, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization; Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity; Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary General of International Telecommunication Union; Dr. Bambang Susantono, Vice President of Asian Development Bank; ZHANG Xinsheng, President, International Union for Conservation of Nature; Satya Tripathi, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of New York Office, UN Environment Programme; Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International; Dr. Awni Behnam, Fmr. United Nations Assistant Secretary General, Hon. President, International Ocean Institute, and many senior officials of international organizations, government officials, well-known experts and scholars, entrepreneurs, and heads of non-profit organizations. The two-day forum has reached out to more than 100,000 professional audiences through live streaming and participation.