From 26th – 31st October the World Cities Day 2024 – International Conference on Cities and Construction Industry Development with the theme “Building Cities for citizens, Sharing a Better Life”, is held in two cities – Shanghai and Weihai.
The opening ceremony of the World Cities Day 2024 is held on October 26th at the International Economic and Trade Exchange Center in Weihai, Shandong Province. After the opening speech by Zhu Yongxin, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Stefano Boeri, Founding Partner of Stefano Boeri Architetti, delivers a video greeting speech for the opening ceremony, sharing his experience on green architecture and Green Obsession, the design approach and practice of Stefano Boeri Architetti, which was awarded the UN SDGs Action Award in the “Inspire” category in 2023 by the United Nations.
As one of the main events of World Cities Day in China this year, “2024 International Conference on Urban and Construction Industry Development” is organized by China Council for the Promotion of Trade in Construction Industry under the guidance of the Department of Planning, Finance and Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, hosted by the UN-Habitat China Information Office and Weihai Municipal Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, with technical support from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University.
The theme of the conference, “Urban Transformation – Industrial Cooperation”, is closely related to the overall theme of World Cities Day, “Better City, Better Life”. It also echoes the work deployment of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) on accelerating urban renewal, renovation of old neighborhoods, transformation and upgrading of the construction industry, strengthening international exchanges and cooperation in the field of housing, and promoting the high-quality development of the housing construction industry.
Other speakers of the opening ceremony: Ni Hong, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Lin Wu, Secretary of Shandong Provincial Party Committee, and Anaklaudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT.