On 7 September 2021, CityNet Secretariat was invited to present at the Malaysia Urban Forum 2021 (MUF). MUF is a platform for stakeholders to participate and discuss their ideas and solutions to urban challenges. The focus and theme of the 2021 forum was “Sustainable Urban Nation 2030: Better Cities for All With COVID-19.” The forum is held in line with UN-Habitat’s National Urban Forum framework and aims to improve Malaysia’s urbanization goal to become a Sustainable Urban Nation 2030.

During the forum, CityNet Secretariat Program Officer Danbee Lee presented on behalf of CityNet to share insight based on her research, COVID-19 Impact Assessment & Pandemic Preparedness. In an effort to build strategic capacity for member cities against the COVID-19, the research was initiated to analyze the cities’ preparedness on responding to COVID-19. CityNet conducted a survey with a questionnaire based on the UNDRR Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities and analyzed the results of 18 respondents, including local governments and NGOs within the Asia-Pacific Region. She stressed the importance of exchanging best practices among cities and learning from others’ mistakes in order to successfully overcome the difficulties of the pandemic situation and become a more inclusive and resilient city.

CityNet Secretariat Program Officer Kevin Drouin also gave a presentation to share knowledge on the Toolkit on Localization of Urban Practices and SDG Navigator on the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform. The Toolkit was developed over several years, aiming to assist city government officials assess the relevance of best practices, policies, and case studies for their own cities, as they learn about many through CityNet’s workshops and activities. The SDG Navigator is targeted at city officials to help them evaluate their level of implementation of the SDGs. It includes a self-assessment questionnaire to be completed by city officials, after which the SDG Navigator evaluates and provides cities with a results dashboard. The Urban SDG Knowledge Platform was established by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and CityNet to promote and support knowledge sharing and cooperation for sustainable urban development.