On October 31, the 2020 China Observance of World Cities Day was held in 
Fuzhou, with the theme of 'Valuing Our Communities and Cities'.

This observance is an important part of this year's World Cities Day series of 
events. Mr. Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations; Ms. Sharif, 
Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program 
(UN-Habitat); Mr. Arimah, Head of the Global Reporting and Trends Department of 
UN-Habitat, as well as internationally-acclaimed experts and scholars from 
Russia and Germany communicated via video connections, and well-known domestic 
experts and scholars delivered keynote speeches. During the opening ceremony, 
the Fuzhou Initiative was released to the world as an important outcome.

Before the opening ceremony, two thematic forums were held in Fuzhou to share 
successful examples of urban quality improvement and community governance. In 
addition, an exhibition of urban construction achievements was held, along with 
supporting activities such as a photography contest and an on-site survey.

The 2020 China Observance of World Cities Day was hosted by the Ministry of 
Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China (MOHURD), 
the Fujian Provincial People's Government and UN-Habitat, with the Fuzhou 
Municipal People's Government organizing the event. The event city, Fuzhou, has 
long pursued the notion of people's cities being built by the people, and 
people's cities being for the people. The city leaders and community members 
alike are committed to creating a beautiful province and a city of happiness, 
in order to continuously reinforce people's sense of happiness and opportunity. 
The urban construction of Fuzhou has been widely recognized by all sectors 
throughout society.

At the end of 2013, China promoted in the United Nations the establishment of 
World Cities Day, the first international day with cities as the theme. The 
fundamental ideas are: to stimulate the interest of the international community 
in global urbanization; to promote sustainable urban development; to encourage 
cooperation between countries; and to join forces to construct green, livable, 
convenient and harmonious cities, thereby realizing the common goal of Better 
City, Better Life.

Source: The Organizing Committee Office of the 2020 China Observance of World 
Cities Day (Fuzhou)

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   Caption: Mr. You Mengjun, Mayor of Fuzhou, read out the Fuzhou Initiative.