World Urban Forum Side Event: Leveraging City Diplomacy to Achieve the SDGs

Mauricio Rodas, Distinguished Fellow, Global Cities; Michele Acuto, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Cities; Kris Hartley, Nonresident Fellow, Global Cities; Eugenie Birch, Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania; Nina Hachigian, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, City of Los Angeles. Moderated by Juliana Kerr.

This panel will convene a series of experts to discover new analysis on city diplomacy and how cities worldwide are building capacity to manage and prioritize international strategies and effectively navigate global platforms. The panel seeks to understand how cities, such as Los Angeles and Quito, have developed tangible solutions, integrated the SDGs in their city plans, and leveraged city diplomacy to achieve their goals. Participants will learn about research on Global Goals, Global Cities: Advancing the SDGs through Collective Local Action, which summarizes the unique strengths, challenges, and opportunities of cities and their strategic partners.

This panel will take place at the World Urban Forum, a high-level platform convened by UN-Habitat to address the impacts of rapid urbanization on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. The theme of the 2020 World Urban Forum is Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation.

The Global Goals, Global Cities: Achieving the SDGs through Collective Local Action report was made possible by the generous support of UL and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Nina Hachigian

Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, City of Los Angeles

Nina Hachigian is the first Deputy Mayor of International Affairs of the City of Los Angeles. Hachigian leads the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, which works to broaden the city’s global engagement on matters ranging from trade, investment, culture, and tourism to preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Hachigian was appointed US Ambassador to ASEAN by former President Obama, and served in the post from 2014 to 2017 with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. She had previously served as director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy for four years, been Senior Vice President at the Center for American Progress, and was on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton White House from 1998 to 1999.

Speaker Bio