About Us

The UN Global Compact Cities Programme (the Cities Programme) is an urban-focused component of the UN Global Compact. The programme provides a unique model for cities across the globe to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to long-term and intractable challenges based on the ten principles of the Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.
Based on the premise that any city, anywhere, contains the capacity to resolve the issues it faces, the Cities Programme offers a framework for building constructive, all-sector taskforces between business, government and civil society, to produce practical responses in areas where single-sector initiatives have previously failed.
The development of new, progressive methodologies such as the Cities Programme has become increasingly critical in the twenty-first century as urban populations outnumber rural growth for the first time and new, complex challenges emerge.
Combining the ideas, knowledge, experience and resources inherent within all three sectors offers a powerful, unique and unlimited capacity to effect change and address these challenges in areas such as waste management, water and sanitation, poverty alleviation, traffic safety and housing redevelopments.
The Cities Programme exists to offer metropolises the opportunity to implement the ten principles at a city-wide level, translating these standards into concrete and positive outcomes in everyday urban environments. Working within the Global Compact framework, the Cities Programme makes a clear statement of a metropolis’ civic, cultural and corporate character as well as motivating real and measurable change and encouraging participation in international dialogue.

Governance structure

The Cities Programme is a global initiative with city-based activity being led locally. It is governed at global, regional and local levels.
Find out details of the relationships between different levels of governance

Values

The Cities Programme includes the terms: Sustainability; Resilience; Leadership; Commitment; Governance; Diversity and Adaptability.
Find out about how these terms apply to the Programme

Benefits

The Cities Programme (Cities Programme) benefits the city and it’s leaders.
Read about the diverse benefits of the Cities Programme

Requirements

The Cities Programme focuses on on-the-ground action.
More about requirements…

Commitments

In summary, a city commits to undertaking a specific project that demonstrates their commitment to the ten principles of the Global Compact and the Cities Programme.
More about commitments