CITYNET PROGRAMS
2025 CityNet Activities
| 45th Session of CityNet – Kuala Lumpur Regional Training Center Program | Q2 Kuala Lumpur |
| CityNet Secretariat continues its partnership with the Kuala Lumpur Regional Training Center (KLRTC) in the conduct of its annual international training program in Kuala Lumpur. The program will focus on cities learning and sharing low carbon policies, smart city development, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), and benchmarking on global urban innovation successes, demonstrating the prospects for impactful city-wide projects, and strengthening international city to city exchanges. In 2025, CityNet members will visit the City of Kuala Lumpur and learn from the city’s best practices on low carbon, smart city development, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). A highlight will be the leadership session with Kuala Lumpur City Hall Mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif and the partnership milestones ceremony between CityNet and Kuala Lumpur City Hall. Partner: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| Learning Consultation on Grants Development | Q2 Online |
| CityNet Secretariat will team up with CityNet National Chapter Philippines on sharing practices and lessons on grants development. CityNet NC Philippines Host Makati City will share its experience on conceptualizing, developing, and securing grant proposals. CityNet will also invite South Korea-based development donors and private sectors to share their long -term priority areas on international support and see the prospect of convergence of their interventions at the country level with CityNet National Chapters as one of the key actors in the long run. CityNet will also invite the National Chapters to participate. For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| Capacity Building Program on City Branding | Q2 Online |
| CityNet Secretariat will organize a series of online sessions on how cities improve their international city branding. As cities are magnets for global opportunities and talents, they compete by making their cities more liveable, safe, and competitive. CityNet Members will share some of their best practices on how to improve city branding utilizing different concepts and tools like social media, videos, technologies like artificial intelligence to attract both tourists, global talents, and long-term residents. For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| Climate Leadership Program Learning Series | Q2 & Q4 (Online & Offsite) |
| The Climate Leadership Program is a leadership and peer exchange learning series that aims to increase the capacities of climate change practitioners in the Asia Pacific with the end goal of helping them transform their communities while addressing impacts of climate change. With lead and co-lead members of CityNet’s Climate Change Cluster, the CLP is an exchange of urban practices of both innovative national and local climate actions. Participants present their exemplary local climate actions, test different tools, and consult with peers to better improve on implementing sustainable climate solutions. Partner CityNet Members: Jakarta Capital Government (Climate Change Cluster Lead City), Quezon City Government, Human & Environment Links Progressive Organization (HELP-O), and International Climate and Development Institute (ICDI), and Habitat Forum (INHAF). For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| Capacity Building Program on Soft Skills and City Diplomacy | Q3 Online |
| Based on requests from members, CityNet Secretariat will initiate an online program to help members improve their soft skills to effectively manage and succeed in the workplace, increase productivity, and promote international cooperation. These can be wide ranging from city diplomacy, international communications, conflict negotiation, leadership among others. CityNet Secretariat will organize a series of interactive sessions with a certification program with key experts. For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| Capacity Building for Newly Elected Local Authorities | Q3 Online |
| CityNet Secretariat will offer an online leadership session with the newly elected local authorities to inspire and strengthen their leadership capacities on urban management and governance. This peer-based activity will further enable local authorities in the Asia Pacific region to recommit to different global development agendas and use international urban cooperation as a development leverage to improve the economy and urban quality of life For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| City Mayors Capacity Building Program on Smart City | Q4 Granada |
| CityNet Secretariat will develop a special program on the smart city for its city leaders. The program will benchmark some of CityNet associate members in the European Union, learning EU experiences and urban innovations cutting across smart city programs in waste management, mobility, and citizen engagement. Among the potential hosts is Granada City, a CityNet associate member. CityNet Secretariat will follow up the discussion with the City of Granada on this initiative and invite selected members to apply. For more information, email programs1@citynet-ap.org | |
| Capacity Building Program for CityNet Korea Members | Q4 Denpasar |
| CityNet will organize a customised capacity building program for its Korean members to further enable and promote peer-based exchanges and urban development cooperation between the Republic of Korea and other countries. Potentially, CityNet Korea Members will be invited to Denpasar in conjunction with the 45th Executive Committee Meeting. CityNet Korea members will benchmark urban practices and develop plans of action to improve their urban management capacities in line with the Republic of Korea’s long term urban agenda. Partner: CityNet Members in Korea For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| 45th Executive Committee Meeting | 26-28 October Denpasar |
| Launched in 2022 at the 9th CityNet Congress Kuala Lumpur, the SDG City Awards will return for the fourth year! Cities will be encouraged to submit their best practice cases to the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform. After a period of evaluation and voting, the finalists will present their cases at the SDG City Awards Session in conjunction with the 45th Executive Committee Meeting in Denpasar. Winners will be awarded on the same occasion. Expect the submission period to begin in late February or early March. For more information, email Hui@citynet-ap.org | |
| 4th CityNet-UNESCAP SDG City Awards | 26-28 October Denpasar |
| Launched in 2022 at the 9th CityNet Congress Kuala Lumpur, the SDG City Awards will return for the fourth year! Cities will be encouraged to submit their best practice cases to the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform. After a period of evaluation and voting, the finalists will present their cases at the SDG City Awards Session in conjunction with the 45th Executive Committee Meeting in Denpasar. Winners will be awarded on the same occasion. Expect the submission period to begin in late February or early March. For more information, email sdgplatform@citynet-ap.org |
| CityNet Services (Virtual and In-person) | On a Rolling Basis |
| Available upon request, CityNet provides services for C-2-C. Please visit https://citynet- ap.org/programs/citynet-services/ for details. For more information, email coordinator1@citynet-ap.org | |
| Program Activities with CityNet National Chapters | All Year Round Offsite or Online |
| CityNet is consulting with different hosts of National Chapter (NC) on what CityNet strategic activities can be organized for the year. CityNet Secretariat will support initiatives from National Chapters in terms of organizing capacity building activities at the national scale, membership outreach and recruitment. Moreover, CityNet Secretariat plans to put more effort to engaging NC hosts in addressing organizational challenges and supporting their national activities in 2024. Partner CityNet Member: Hosts of National Chapters Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines and Sri Lanka |
Member/Partner Activities
| Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) | 25-28 Feb Bangkok |
| CityNet Secretariat supports the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) by encouraging its members to showcase its work on sustainable urban development, engage in stocktaking discussions on Sustainable Development Goals, engage with UN partners, and strengthen knowledge sharing partnerships in the Asia Pacific region. The 2025 APFSD will be organized under the theme, ‘Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind in Asia and the Pacific’. It will assess progress on the SDGs under Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Goal 14 (Life Below Water), and Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals). CityNet is working with its regional partners including ESCAP to secure city government representation in the annual Forum. For more information, email sdgplatform@citynet-ap.org | |
| Smart City Summit & Expo | 18-22 March Taipei & Kaohsiung |
| The City COP (previously called Sustainable City Forum) is one of the major annual events in conjunction with the Smart City Summit & Expo (SCSE) in the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung. The City COP is organized by International Climate Development Institute (ICDI), one of CityNet’s Executive Committee Members. CityNet supports City COP by bringing select members to share their urban innovations in smart city development and sharing insights in the different technical discussions and global policy conservations. The Smart City Summit & Expo is one of Asia’s biggest smart city tradeshows bringing at least 2,500 overseas participants to Taipei and Kaohsiung for the weeklong program. For more information, email programs1@citynet-ap.org | |
| Annual Investment Meeting | 7-9 April Abu Dhabi |
| The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Congress) 2025 is dedicated to advancing the future of globalized investment and its industrial impact by charting the course for emerging investment trends. AIM Congress 2025 aims to create a more balanced global framework, identify opportunities within a dynamic economic environment, and unlock the potential of every business, country, and region. By fostering economic diversification and providing actionable insights into emerging trends, AIM Congress 2025 will empower investors to make strategic, informed decisions that align with their goals and requirements as well as equip participants to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape, ensuring that their investment choices are both prudent and aligned with long-term objectives. CityNet will be a partner of the event and bring selected Mayors from its members to participate in the event For more information, email hui@citynet-ap.org | |
| CityNet at the 81st Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) | 21-25 April Bangkok |
| CityNet will participate in the 81st Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The Session is an opportunity to strengthen a region-wide collective action and demonstration on urbanization as the transformative tool for accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Guided by the theme, “Regional Cooperation For Resilient and Sustainable Urban Development in Asia and the Pacific”, the session will bring together government leaders and ministers and other key stakeholders to discuss how partnerships and other regional cooperation mechanisms further enable sustainable urbanization across sectors. In this session, CityNet will share knowledge, contribute insights, and promote its program activities. For more information, email sdgplatform@citynet-ap.org | |
| Global Parliament of Mayors Annual Summit 2025
| Q2 |
| In 2024, CityNet signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GPM to enhance knowledge exchange across the two networks. CityNet Secretariat will mobilize CityNet members to participate in the GPM Annual Summit in 2025. The GPM Annual Summit is a showcase of meetings and networking activities, plenary sessions, and side events. For more information, email hui@citynet-ap.org | |
| ASEAN Mayors Forum | 4-7 August Kuala Lumpur |
| Malaysia is the 2025 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Chair and Kuala Lumpur City Hall is organizing related regional programs and activities with local authorities as a contribution to Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship. CityNet will support Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s efforts to ensure a successful program and contribute to its success. The ASEAN Mayors Forum (AMF) was originally conceived in 2011 when visionary mayors in Southeast Asia met for the first time in Surabaya, Indonesia, to demonstrate the importance of local contributions to ASEAN’s regional integration. The Forum has gained prominence since 2015, with successive AMF meetings to discuss the ASEAN Community building and how mayors can help accelerate its progress and benefits for citizens. For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| 2nd Seoul Smart Life Week | 30 Sept – 2 Oct Seoul |
| The Seoul Smart Life Week will showcase Seoul’s Smart City initiatives, providing opportunities to benchmark best practices. The event will feature various exhibitions, networking events, and forum sessions. CityNet will support in encouraging CityNet members to participate and learn different smart city programs. For more information, email sdgplatform@citynet-ap.org | |
| 5th International Forum on Low Carbon Cities | Q4 Northeast Asia |
| The 5th International Forum on Low Carbon Cities is a platform of sharing and strengthening partnership and peer-learning among cities and city networks in NorthEast Asia. CityNet Secretariat has been an institutional partner with UNESCAP East Asia, the convenor of the event, bringing its members to share innovations and best practices, and demonstrating commitments to achieving low carbon cities not only in Northeast Asia but into the whole Asia Pacific. For more information, email programs2@citynet-ap.org | |
| CityNet at COP 30 | 10–21 November Belém, Brazil |
| CityNet Secretariat will participate in the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30). CityNet Secretariat will lead its delegation to promote regional initiatives on climate change. CityNet members will also share successful adaptation and mitigation practices with its partners. It will also engage with different international and country pavilions to co-organize different technical and networking sessions. CityNet aims to be part of collective policy discussions on climate that has implications for cities at COP 30. For more information, email hui@citynet-ap.org | |
