Transforming Urban Settlements: Serbia's 2nd National Urban Forum Paves the Way for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Niš, April 12, 2024 - The second National Urban Forum (NUF), focusing on the "Localization of Sustainable Development Goals and Monitoring of Urban Development in the Republic of Serbia," concluded on a high note, confirming its international relevance by drawing attention to the preparation for the Twelfth World Urban Forum (WUF12) scheduled on November 4-8, 2024 in Cairo.  

Echoing the WUF’s theme, "It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities," NUF specifically spotlighted urban dimension of sustainable development goals in Serbia. Hosted in Niš, the forum confirmed the completion of the first Voluntary Local Report on monitoring the progress of sustainable development goals at the local level.  

The forum successfully brought together 200 participants, primarily representatives of local self-governments, as well as representatives from national and international levels across various sectors – public, private, civil, and academic.  

The NUF was organized by Agency for Spatial and Urban Planning of the Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, City of Niš, and Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities - Union of Cities and Municipalities of Serbia in partnership with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Serbia.  

The United Nations agencies, UNDP, UNOPS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNEP, and UN Habitat played an active role in the forum. Their participation exemplified international collaboration on urban improvement, focusing on sustainable, inclusive, resilient, and safe urban settlements in line with Goal 11 and other sustainable development goals.  

Throughout the forum, numerous topics were covered, such as the activities of UN Habitat in localizing SDGs, the role of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia in monitoring the realization of SDGs, and themes from parallel sessions like youth involvement in SDGs, urban development in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Green Agenda in urban development, urban forums and smart cities, and architectural and social aspects of urban development.  

The NUF captured the spirit of multi-level governance and has made significant strides in achieving better vertical integration from global goals to local implementation levels.  

For more information and recordings of discussions from the Forum, visit the YouTube channel as well as the website of the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure.