The World Cities Summit is a series of worldwide conferences on urban sustainability and public governance. Recently, the Chief Minister of Delhi has been invited to attend the World Cities Summit 2022, which will be held in Singapore.

This is an important topic from the IAS Exam perspective and in this article, we shall discuss the World Cities Summit, its theme for 2022 and its significance. 

About World Cities Summit (WCS)

• The World Cities Summit (WCS) is an exclusive platform where government officials and industry leaders would discuss issues relating to livable and sustainable cities, exchange integrated urban solutions and create new partnerships.
• It is a global biennial conference hosted by Singapore.
• World Cities Summit is jointly organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
• The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, United Nations Environment Program, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific are collaborating as strategic partners.

Background:

• The first World Cities Summit was held in Singapore from June 23 to 25, 2008, with the theme of “Liveable and Vibrant Cities“. 8800 senior delegates attended the inaugural summit in June 2008.

• The liveability of urban centres has drawn significant attention in recent years due to growing urbanisation and the fact that half of the world’s population now resides in urban areas. 
• This is especially true given the growing awareness of resource scarcity and environmental sustainability challenges.
• Now we have the Mercer Quality of Living Survey and The Economist’s World’s Most Liveable Cities, two rankings that make international comparisons of living standards and quality of life.

Also read about the World Cities Culture Summit, in the linked article.

World Cities Summit 2022

• The eighth edition of the World Cities Summit will be held in person, from 31 st July to 3rd August 2022 in Singapore.
• The theme of WCS 2022 is “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Emerging Stronger”.
• The four-day conference will include the main conference, which has plenaries and tracks, as well as other significant events like the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Lecture and Forum, Award Ceremony and Banquet, WCS Mayors Forum, WCS Young Leaders Symposium and an expo.
• Following the success of the virtual edition in 2021, this year’s Summit will also feature the first-ever WCS Smart Cities Workshop. 
• At the Summit, partners and sponsors will also host WCS sessions, networking opportunities, physically co-located events, and partner activities.

UPSC aspirants can know about India’s Bilateral Relations with other countries in the linked article. 

Significance: 

• In these hard, scary times of pandemic and climate change, WCS 2022 strives to examine how cities can remain livable, sustainable and more resilient.
• The Summit will engage cities, businesses, and experts at the highest levels to discuss how cities can emerge stronger through protracted and unpredictable disruptions.
• Delegates will engage with the issue of how cities might emerge stronger from modern disruptions across five tracks: Sustainable Financing, Smart Cities, Development and Planning, Urban Resilience, and Liveable Future Cities through the plenaries and tracks of the main conference.

Go through the Daily News Analysis for daily updates on current affairs.

Invitation to India:

• Delhi’s Chief Minister is invited to attend the 4 days event on the first day of the WCS 2022.
• The High Commissioner of Singapore said Delhi and Singapore are two distinctive urban centres that share a common set of problems and look forward to collaborating in the sectors of waste, waste management and public housing.
• In WCS 2020, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh was invited to the Summit.

There are multiple other Important International Summits. Candidates can learn in detail about the same along with their themes, venues and other information.

World Cities Summit:-Download PDF Here