9th Congress SDG Session Overview
The SDG Session at the 9th CityNet Congress in Kuala Lumpur will run on September 21 from 10:00-12:30 local time. All CityNet members who attend Congress are encouraged to attend this in-person event. What can you expect by showing up for this exclusive session?
SDG Online Course Launch
CityNet Secretariat has been working hard to bring its members exclusive and free online courses to increase capacity building and encourage peer to peer knowledge sharing of urban best practices. Dubbed the “CityNet Official and Stakeholder Action Learning on Sustainable Urbanization” these online training courses will be run on the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform. The Secretariat will work with CityNet members to develop one of a kind online courses that will be free for all CityNet members. The courses are intended to help localize the outstanding practices on the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform in member cities, but they will also be valuable for mid-career officials to gather certifications to advance in their knowledge of sustainable urbanization and in their careers. At Congress, CityNet CEO Mr. Jeong-kee Kim will officially launch the start of this programme and attending members will get their first look at the exciting courses that will be offered.
9th CityNet Congress Declaration
During the Congress Declaration, CityNet leadership consisting of representatives of the President City, Vice President City, Executive Committee members as well as mayors and heads of organizations in attendance will be asked to come to the stage to read the declaration to all assembled members. The Congress Declaration is an oath made by the entire CityNet network to implement sustainable development objectives in our local cities. It acts as a way to inspire the direction our network takes until the next Congress four years hence. The theme of the 9th Congress Declaration is sustaining regional peace by localizing sustainable development solutions in our cities. This will be a wonderful opportunity for CityNet leaders to come together to signal their joint commitment to sustainable urban development in the Asia Pacific.
The SDG Awards Ceremony
CityNet Secretariat received over 50 nominations for the SDG Awards! The majority of these nominations consisted of new cases that were added to the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform’s Case Study Database. The enthusiasm of CityNet members for this program is responsible for pushing the number of total case studies on the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform to over 400, which is an extraordinary achievement for the network! Due to the high volume of case study nominations received, the Secretariat is still deliberating on which 10 members will be named as the finalists. The 10 finalists will be invited to attend the SDG Awards Ceremony in person to present their case to the General Assembly and receive an award. Despite only being able to formally recognize the achievement of 10 finalist cases, all nominees will have a presence at the SDG Awards setup nearby the conference room, so be sure to stop by to add your signature to the guestbook if you nominated a case for the SDG Awards.
The Awards Ceremony will be moderated by an expert in sustainable urban development with knowledge of CityNet’s work and the direction that sustainable development should take in the future. The event will feature a light, talk-show style conversation between the moderator and the two finalists for each of the 5 categories. Each finalist will receive a trophy and pose for an iconic photo op. After learning about each project, the General Assembly and several esteemed judges will be asked to vote for the top 3 winners. During this time, a video consisting of pre-recorded pitches from the 10 finalists will play on the screen. Finally, the judges will announce the top 3 winners, who will be invited to participate in a customized SDG capacity building workshop in Seoul, Republic of Korea in 2023. Please hold on a little bit longer until the Secretariat is ready to reveal the 10 finalists. 
