With the world experiencing rapid urbanization, a significant portion of urban residents today are young people, particularly in countries across Africa and Asia. Echoing this year’s theme of Habitat Day “Engaging Youth to Create a Better Urban Future,” Deputy Executive Director of UN-Habitat Dr. Michal Mlynar will share how UN-Habitat engages youth in cities and how youth perspectives will be integrated into the upcoming 12th World Urban Forum that provides the quintessential platform to advance global urban development discussions.

Dr. Mlynar will also discuss how universities and academia can contribute to enhancing our understanding of urban challenges and fostering innovative solutions and he will share experiences from his career as a professor, diplomat, and now as UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director at UN-Habitat.

The talk will be moderated by Professor Daniel Naujoks, Director of SIPA’s IO/UNS specialization.

Columbia students, faculty, and staff may attend in person; others please join us virtually. Please see the different registration options. A light lunch will be offered during the event.