Cities Project: Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities for Sustainable Development

Project Scope and Focus

The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) initiated the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) among Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities for Sustainable Development Project (Cities Project) in 2017. The project aims to promote SSTC at the city level taking advantage of the strategic opportunities offered by the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Cities Project aligns its support with the engagement and ownership of local authorities and stakeholders. It is designed to provide streamlined services which include demand-driven needs assessment, capacity development, advisory and advocacy, knowledge and technology transfer, expertise exchange, and implementation and co-financing.

By the end of 2020, over 200 cities and institutions from Africa, Arab States, Asia and Pacific and the Europe and the CIS regions actively participated in Cities Project network activities, and their development solutions and innovative experiences have been showcased. Over 40 knowledge sharing and capacity development initiatives and webinars were organized in 2020, which received over 3.3 million live views globally, and connected over 1000 cities from across 140+ countries.

The Cities Project worked with more than 80 development partners, including close to 20 UN entities, namely, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Trade Center (ITC), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UN- Habitat, and UNRCO in many countries, as well as many other institutional partners from within and beyond the United Nations system are directly or indirectly support the Cities Project implementation.

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Recent Knowledge Products

Cities Clusters - Tourism Knowledge ProductsCities Project Knowledge ProductsPublications
December 7, 2023

Experiences and Practices on Inclusive Sustainable Tourism in Cities and Localities in the Context of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (UNOSSC, UNESCO, 2023)

As the world ushers into an era of transformation, UNOSSC Cities Project and UNESCO present the inspiring compilation “Experiences and Practices on Inclusive Sustainable Tourism in Cities and Localities in…
Cities Clusters - DRR Knowledge ProductsCities Project Knowledge ProductsPublications
October 31, 2022

Training Booklet: Transitioning to Complex Risk Management and Resilient Urban Futures – Harnessing South-South Cooperation and Learning from COVID-19

Jointly organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster and Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Global Education and Training Institute (GETI), the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) under the framework…
Cities Clusters - E-commerce Knowledge ProductsCities Project Knowledge ProductsDigital Transformation PublicationsPublications
September 21, 2022

Innovative Experiences of Cities in South-South Cooperation in Cross-border E-commerce and Digital Innovation

In 2020, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation and the China Association of Trade in Services (CATIS) jointly organized a webinar series on "South-South and Triangular Cooperation Among Cities…
Cities Clusters - DRR Knowledge ProductsCities Project Knowledge ProductsPublications
May 6, 2022

Spotlighting: Cities and Other Sub-National COVID-19 Responses for SSTC (UNOSSC-UNDRR, 2022)

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to its global spread, the crisis has had negative impacts on individuals, communities, and societies, particularly on the most vulnerable people in the…

Recent News & Pilot Projects

Cities Clusters - TransportCities ProjectNews
December 13, 2023

UNOSSC Facilitates South-South Exchange on Urban Mobility between Cities in Argentina, Chile and China

On 12 December 2023, the Cities Project of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) held an online exchange on innovative urban mobility, fostering collaboration among officials from Buenos…
Cities Clusters - AgricultureCities ProjectNews
November 23, 2023

UNOSSC Cities Project Facilitates Collaboration Between Gurbhakot, Nepal, and Nanjing, China on Agro-industrial Park Planning

From 17 to 20 November 2023, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Cities Project and officials from Gurbhakot, Nepal undertook a field visit to Nanjing, China. The visit…
Cities Clusters - E-commerceCities ProjectNews
November 9, 2023

6th China International Import Expo: An Important Platform to Promote South-South Trade

From 5 to 10 November, the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Shanghai, bringing together over 3,400 exhibitors from 154 countries, regions, and international organizations. Among them,…
Cities Clusters - TourismCities ProjectNews
November 6, 2023

UNOSSC Cities Project and WHITRAP strengthen collaboration at 2023 World Heritage Creative Innovator Forum

From 2 to 3 November, representatives of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Cities Project participated in the 2023 World Heritage Creative Innovator Forum in Guangzhou, China. The…
Cities Clusters - DRRCities ProjectNews
October 18, 2023

UNOSSC Director visited NDRCC to Strengthen Collaboration on Disaster Risk Reduction through South-South and Triangular Cooperation

17 October 2023, China - During a mission to China, Ms. Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), visited the National Disaster Reduction Center of…
Cities Clusters - DRRCities ProjectNews
September 21, 2023

Local Representatives and Technical Experts from Lebanon and China Participate in Training on Disaster Risk Reduction

Around 70 local representatives and technical experts participated in the training, which was organized under the “South-South and Triangular Cooperation Pilot for Sustainable Disaster Risk Governance in Lebanon” Under the…
Cities Clusters - TransportCities ProjectNews
August 2, 2023

City-to-City Experience and Technology Exchange Workshop between Hangzhou and Santiago

As part of the pilot project on sustainable transportation, and to strengthen city-to-city technical exchanges and partnership-building, Mr. Álvaro Jordán Rifo, Specialist from the Department of Mobility and Transport of…
Cities Clusters - E-commerceCities ProjectNews
July 24, 2023

UNOSSC and China Conduct Seminar Series on South-South Cooperation in Cross-border E-commerce

24 July 2023: A capacity development seminar on South-South cooperation in cross-border e-commerce for poverty eradication and global sustainable development opened in Beijing today. Eighteen policy-makers and practitioners from 14…

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Also available on BiliBili

Also available on BiliBili

Also available on BiliBili

Also available on BiliBili