The World Cities Day global observance will be held this year in Liverpool, United Kingdom, on 31 October.

The event will be jointly organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Liverpool City Council and the Shanghai People’s Government.

The United Nations has designated every 31 October as World Cities Day. The aim is to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and to contribute to sustainable urban development around the world.

The overall theme of World Cities Day is Better City, Better Life, with a different sub-theme being selected each year to either promote successes of urbanization or address specific challenges. The theme for 2018 World Cities Day is Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities, as announced by the UN-Habitat Executive Director, Ms Maimunah Mohd Sharif, in February during the Ninth session of the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.