Fuzhou Hosts World Urban Day 2026 and Global Urban Award

Beijing, November 1: Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province in southeastern China, became the venue for the fourth Global Sustainable Development Urban Award on Saturday. The award, widely known as the Shanghai Award, was handed out as the global main event of World Urban Day 2026 got underway.

Five cities were chosen for the recognition this year. Addis Ababa of Ethiopia, Santiago de Cali of Colombia, Istanbul of Türkiye, Chingtechen of China, and Katowice of Poland were the winners.

The Shanghai Award is designed to support the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda at the local level. It is also meant to honour cities that have done remarkable work in sustainable urban development.

A special video about the award and the 2026 edition of the 'Shanghai Handbook: Guide to Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century' were released at the event. The handbook brings together successful experiences and effective working examples from cities in various countries.

The programme was organised under the theme 'From Renewal to Empowerment, the Dream of Livable Cities'. The China Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, UN-Habitat, and the Fujian Provincial Government collaborated on the event. The Fuzhou Municipal Government and the provincial housing and urban-rural development department served as hosts.

In December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly passed a proposal to celebrate World Urban Day every year on October 31. The observance has taken place regularly since 2014. Notably, it is the first international day set up by the United Nations on the initiative of the Chinese government.