Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the UN Habitat are jointly organizing a knowledge event on ‘Urban Upgrading for post-COVID Sustainable and Inclusive Human Settlements in the Arab Region.’

The event, scheduled to take place on 7^th November 2021, during the Rural-Urban Development Week at EXPO 2020 Dubai, will highlight the main features of the regional program: ‘Towards Arab cities without informal settlements’ to be  implemented in 12 selected cities in the Arab Region with an initial pilot phase including Taif city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Damietta city in Egypt.

The event will be graced by the presence and keynote speeches  of  high-level government officials and dignitaries from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and United Arab Emirates.

The unprecedented global health crisis caused  by COVID-19 pandemic has affected all parts of the societies and changed lives and livelihoods. According to a UN report, urban areas have become the epicenters of the pandemic with an estimated 90 percent of all reported COVID-19 cases.

As the post-COVID recovery phase begins, cities should be the centers of global response efforts. Recent studies show that the COVID-19 crisis entails a great opportunity for city planners and policy makers to take transformative actions towards creating cities that are more just and resilient.

The official session of the event will be followed by a roundtable of financiers on alternative financing for the program ‘Towards Arab Cities without Informal Settlements.’