Global state of national urban policy 2021: achieving Sustainable Development Goals and delivering climate action

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an opportunity and the potential for national urban policy (NUP) to shape more resilient, green and inclusive cities as part of countries recovery packages. The scale and urgency of pressing and emerging urban challenges has become evident and has given prominence to NUP as a tool to build back better. NUP is increasingly used as an instrument that facilitates achieving sustainable urban development as a shared responsibility across levels of government. The Global State of National Urban Policy 2021 report reviews the NUPs of 162 countries across the world. Building on the first edition launched in 2018, the report takes stock and provides analysis of form, scope, and stage of development of NUP for policymakers and urban professionals. As such, this global monitoring aims to unpack how and in what forms NUPs have been developed, implemented and assessed globally.