As urbanization continues, cities are often the epicentres of disease transmission. With 95 per cent of all COVID-19 cases recorded in cities, 

urban areas have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the first months. Until today, city authorities and local governments are 

deeply involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic which has been affecting our lives for more than 2 years now. Owing to the proximity to their 

population, their knowledge and understanding of the local actors and context, cities and local governments are crucial to preventing, preparing for, and recovering 

from health emergencies.

In December 2021, the Member States of WHO initiated a process at the World Health Assembly to negotiate an international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

Following an introduction of the recently launched WHO Framework and Guidance on Strengthening health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings and UN-Habitat’s work on Cities and Pandemics: Towards a More Just, Green and Healthy Future, this side event will invite Mayors and representatives of national and local authorities 

• to exchange on lessons learnt on urban pandemic prevention, preparedness and response two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and 
• to discuss their role in national and international discussions on pandemic preparedness. 

The meeting will be hybrid, held online via MS Teams and in person in Conference Room H-207-209, H-Building, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. 

The language will be English. 

We look forward to welcoming you online or in-person at this side-event, co-organized by UN-Habitat, WHO and UNECE!