The South-South Cities Cluster on COVID-19 Response and Recovery offers a space for knowledge sharing and collaboration among cities partners of the Global South on how to respond, mitigate and recover from the pandemic, and how to prevent and prepare for future crises and emergencies. 

While living in cities may offer many opportunities, there are also urban health risks to be considered. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified challenges and vulnerabilities in developing countries, especially in cities with high population density, lacking proper health care facilities and with limited governance mechanisms. In the initial stage of the pandemic, an estimated 95 percent of COVID-19 confirmed cases were reported in urban areas (UN Habitat, 2021).