Representatives from the 56 member states of the Commonwealth have started to arrive in Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government 2024. It is the biennial meeting of Commonwealth leaders and will have as its theme One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.

Urban resilience must be part of this as the Commonwealth is urbanising rapidly. Nearly 50% of the projected 2.5bn additional urban dwellers expected by 2050 will be living in Commonwealth countries, with much of that growth taking place in Asia and Africa where 95% of the cities most at risk from climate impacts are. Many member states experiencing rapid and unplanned urbanisation lack the capacity to respond, and the reality for many Commonwealth citizens is high levels of informality, resulting in inequality, insecurity and vulnerability. Unplanned growth, low density development and urban sprawl are also leading to the loss of productive agricultural land and damage to ecosystems. Cities account for more than 60% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and 80% of global GDP, which means there has never been a more important time for us to come together to tackle, what is being recognised as a global megatrend.

Recognition of the need for a stronger focus on managing the impacts of rapid urbanisation and climate change, and the complexity of the challenge ahead, led to the establishment of a multi-disciplinary, cross-sector coalition of Commonwealth organisations comprising the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), and the Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC), who in close collaboration with The King’s Foundation and the Government of Rwanda, have advocated for the Commonwealth to focus more on sustainable urban development and to leverage Commonwealth networks to support member states in tackling the challenges of urban poverty, rapid urbanisation and the climate.

In June 2022 at the previous CHOGM, Heads adopted the Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation. On 23 October at 09.00-11.00 at CHOGM 2024 in Samoa, the CSCI partners will be hosting a side event Strengthening urban resilience for all – implementation of the Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation, in partnership with the Kings Foundation and the Governments of Rwanda and Samoa. It will focus on implementation of the Declaration, and how we can further leverage the Commonwealth advantage to deliver transformational change especially among low income, rapidly urbanising cities which are at the forefront of climate change.