Observance of World Cities Day 2026

OBSERVANCE OF WORLD CITIES DAY 2026

“Follow-up on the 13th World Urban Forum”

INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION ON URBAN FAMILY ORIENTED POLICIES

Wednesday, October 28th, 2026. Hybrid Participation

10:00-11:30 EST (New York)

United Nations Headquarters

BACKGROUND NOTE

To mark World Cities Day 2026, the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) reaffirms its commitment to promoting inclusive, family-oriented urban development. In alignment with UN-Habitat’s Urban October initiative, IFFD presents the Annual Monitoring Report of the Inclusive Cities for Sustainable Families Project, highlighting the progress made under the framework of the Venice Declaration on Inclusive Cities for Sustainable Families and advancing the goals of SDG 11 and SDG 17.

Good Practices Platform. The first international database of family-centered urban policies now features over 288 good practices. In 2026, 17 signatories from Italy, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Poland recorded 49 new good practices, the highest number to date. They address all 10 commitments of the Declaration, focusing on families in vulnerable situations, parents as primary caregivers, children and youth, women, single mothers, victims of violence, older persons and children with disabilities. Over 90% relate directly to care, reflecting the growing recognition of care as a structural foundation of urban sustainability.

Signatories. Since its launch in 2017, the Venice Declaration—a joint initiative of IFFD, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the Veneto Region—has gained wide momentum. As of October 2026, more than 260 cities and regions have endorsed the Declaration, committing to design urban systems and services that actively support families. It is now promoted by three regional delegates: ELISAN for Europe, Family Talks for Brazil and IAE Business School for Argentina. New signatories since November 2025:

– Municipality of Belluno and Municipality of Cervarese (Veneto Region, Italy);
– Unione dei Comuni Valle del Savio (Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy);
– Cava Costa d’Amalfi (Campania Region, Italy);
– Pompeia and the State of Minas Gerais (Brazil);
– Municipality of Envigado and City of Medellín (Colombia).

Annual Technical Meeting. The 7th Annual Technical Meeting took place in Valencia, Spain, on 15–17 June 2026, co-organized with the ELISAN Network under the theme “Urban Development: Ageing, Healthy Habits and New Technologies.” It combined the Technical Meeting at the Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM), the ELISAN General Assembly, and an academic day at the Polibienestar Research Institute of the University of Valencia. The meeting received a record 49 good practices from six countries, and new signatories joined the Declaration at a signing ceremony. Since 2019, seven Annual Technical Meetings have been held: Curitiba, Virtual, Brussels, Toruń, Virtual, Buenos Aires and Valencia.

Regional Meetings. In recent years, regional technical events have brought together city officials, urban planners, and civil society actors to strengthen commitments:

– Buenos Aires, Argentina (2024), welcoming 12 new signatories and local innovations;
– São Paulo, Brazil (2025), expanding the network and launching new partnerships;
– Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy (2025), highlighting youth perspectives and live cases;
– Osasco, Brazil (2026), reviewing progress and agreeing on next-step improvements.

Youth Training. IFFD supports youth engagement by partnering signatory cities with university students to design and implement family-friendly policies. This year, students from IPC Paris accompanied signatories in designing, implementing and evaluating their policies, fostering a new generation of leaders for inclusive cities.

Live Cases. In collaboration with IAE Business School, the “live case” innovation brings real city challenges into the classroom to co-create solutions. This year, Buenos Aires and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia improved their good practices through defined roadmaps.

Baku Call to Action. The 13th World Urban Forum (Baku, Azerbaijan, May 2026) gathered more than 57,000 participants from 176 countries and closed with a call for renewed commitment to the global housing crisis, which affects an estimated 2.8 billion people living in inadequate housing. IFFD echoes this call: a home is where family life happens, and housing connected with services, opportunity and people-centered solutions lies at the heart of the Venice Declaration.

Looking Ahead. Following up on the World Summit on Social Development (Doha, Qatar, November 2025) and the Baku Call to Action, the Project’s October 2026 Action Plan will:

– move from a qualitative to a quantitative approach;
– develop an Urban Family Well-Being Index;
– consolidate 32 policy recommendations;
– strengthen youth support.

This will include concrete steps to scale up successful models, prioritize vulnerable families, and embed a human-centered vision of progress in future urban policies. By reinforcing inter-municipal collaboration and showcasing scalable innovations, this observance aims to inspire stronger global commitments to social development — beginning at the level of the family, and reaching across the entire urban fabric.

ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT 2026