Interview: China's urban transformation offers insights on global sustainability, says UN-Habitat chief

KHANKENDI, Azerbaijan, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's experience in urban transformation offers valuable insights for addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and inequality, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Anaclaudia Rossbach has said.

She made the remarks on Wednesday in an interview with Xinhua during the 3rd Azerbaijan National Urban Forum, which was held from Wednesday to Friday in Azerbaijan's Khankendi city and capital Baku.

"China has contributed a lot to the work of UN-Habitat historically," Rossbach said, noting that countries can learn from China's experience of developing cities that are more sustainable, people- and nature-oriented.

"I am truly impressed by the remarkable progress of Chinese cities, particularly over the past 10 to 15 years," she said.

Highlighting China's partnership with UN-Habitat, Rossbach pointed to the Shanghai Award and the Shanghai Manual as major examples of collaboration, which she said help UN-Habitat gather experience and practices at the global level.

The Shanghai Manual "is the second most downloaded publication at UN-Habitat," she said, describing it as a public good where cities and stakeholders around the world "can go to and see practices that are very innovative in terms of implementing the New Urban Agenda."

The Agenda, adopted at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in 2016, is a universal framework for sustainable urban development, emphasizing building inclusive, resilient, and environmentally friendly cities.

Rossbach also commended China's consistent observance of World Cities Day, celebrated annually on Oct. 31 since 2014, for raising awareness of the crucial role urbanization plays in sustainable development.

She believes that UN-Habitat can work more closely with China to strengthen the urban perspective in addressing major challenges facing the world, such as climate change, poverty, and inequality. ■