Goal 11 – the goal on cities - connects and localizes most SDGs. Understanding the interrelations across development goals are key to enhancing policy coherence in order to achieve sustainable development. Effective implementation, monitoring and financing of Goal 11 is thus grounded on the understanding of its relationship with other goals and targets of the global agendas, ensuring the inclusion of all people, locations, and urban conditions so that no one, and no place, is left behind.

UN-Habitat, as a focal point for sustainable urbanization and human settlements, has been assisting national and local authorities and other stakeholders in the implementation and monitoring of the New Urban Agenda, Goal 11 and other urban related SDGs.

As part of the HLPF review of Goal 11, this Side Event will discuss how the interrelations across development goals can be enhanced and policy coherence be achieved, as well as key enablers that should be instituted for the implementation and monitoring of this Goal. Building on this, the side event will also focus on the importance of financing mechanisms to accelerate the realization of this goal. Open comments from participants will be encouraged to enrich these discussions.

This side event complements other planned events at the HLPF that focus on the localization of SDG 11.

The Side Event will include the following speakers:

- Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-Habitat

- Ms. Elisabeth Köstinger, Austrian Federal Minister for Sustainability and Tourism

- Ms. Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Executive Director of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

- Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, The World Bank Group Senior Vice President

- Moderated by: Eduardo Lopez Moreno, Director of Research and Capacity Development of UN-Habitat