World Cities Day theme

Coping with climate change and building resilient cities. World Cities Day comes from the initiative in the "Shanghai Declaration" released at the Shanghai World Expo Summit Forum on October 31, 2010. The initiative stated that the closing day of the Shanghai World Expo should be designated as World Cities Day so that the concepts and practices of the Shanghai World Expo can be sustained and inspire mankind to pursue and strive for urban innovation and harmonious development.

On December 6, 2013, Wang Min, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, attended the Second Committee meeting of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This meeting passed a resolution on human settlements and decided to set October 31st every year as "World Cities Day" from 2014. This is the first time that China has promoted the establishment of an international day in the United Nations, and has won the support of all United Nations member states.

On September 2, 2014, relevant parties in Shanghai announced the theme of the first "World Cities Day" - "Urban Transformation and Development." The Shanghai World Cities Day Affairs Coordination Center was established. The center will organize daily activities such as celebrations, forums, exhibitions, and publicity and promotion.

On October 31, 2020, the 2020 World Cities Day China home event was held in Fuzhou. Activities include the opening ceremony, the reading ceremony of the "Fuzhou Initiative", the launching ceremony of the "Shanghai Manual·2020 Annual Report", keynote speeches, urban development case exhibitions and related supporting activities, etc.