Thematic Cities Cluster

COVID-19 Response and Recovery & Public Health

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).  

In this context, the Cities Project received an increased number of requests for support in COVID-19 response and recovery and access to public health services. In 2021, the Cities Project will continue prioritizing requests received in this area and work with specialized UN agencies in different regions on enhancing collaborations and developing capacities of cities and institutions in public health emergency preparedness and response as well as social-economic recovery. 

he Cities Project welcomes city partners interested in participating in this Cluster and hopes the knowledge exchanged here leads to more South-South cooperation and a swift post-pandemic social and economic recovery  

Featured Members of this Cluster

Aparecida de Goiânia, Brazil

Baguio, the Philippines

Cities Alliance, UNOPS

Doresópolis, Brazil

Gansu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (GPAFFC), China

Banjul, the Gambia

Izmir, Turkey

Mumbwa, Zambia

Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA), Palestine

São Paulo, Brazil

United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) Initiative, ITU

Shah Alam, Malaysia

Fortaleza, Brazil

Santiago, Chile

IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies

Milan, Italy

Potenza, Italy

Udine, Italy

Chaco province, Argentina

Afadzato South District, Ghana