Organised in collaboration with The Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (CSCI)
The Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (CSCI) is a collaboration between the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), the Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC) and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), working in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and The King’s Foundation.
This event was an opportunity to share the outcomes of the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Coalition pilot findings with UK-based Commonwealth High Commissioners, to map how those findings relate to member states’ priorities, and to explore practical ways of better leveraging the Commonwealth’s comparative advantage in advancing implementation of the CHOGM 2022 Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation.
Introduction
By 2050, almost 50% of global urban population growth is expected to occur within Commonwealth cities, doubling from 1 billion to 2 billion inhabitants. With cities generating 80% of global GDP and 70% of global carbon emissions, the successful planning, resourcing and development of sustainable urbanisation is paramount, not only for mitigating climate-related risks, which disproportionately affect Commonwealth states, but for the economic and physical wellbeing of communities on the ground. Sustainable urbanisation, then, is not a ‘side issue for the Commonwealth’, but central to delivery, resilience and strategic planning within it.
Although this need was reflected in the Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation[1], adopted at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022 in Rwanda, the Commonwealth must move from declaration to delivery ahead of CHOGM 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda. Consequently, following a Wilton Park dialogue in 2025[2], the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Coalition[3] (CSCC) pilot programme was created to assess and address key challenges hindering a sustainable approach to urbanisation across the Commonwealth, and to identify good practice, innovation and policy priorities to strengthen sustainable and resilient urban development.
Wilton Park, in collaboration with CSCI, convened representatives from twelve High Commissions in the UK, representing countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific, alongside representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector and other members of the CSCC. The countries represented were Antigua and Barbuda; the Republic of Fiji; the Co-operative Republic of Guyana; the Republic of India; the Republic of Malta; the Independent State of Papua New Guinea; the Republic of Rwanda; the Republic of Seychelles; the United Republic of Tanzania; the Republic of Uganda; the Republic of Zambia; and the United Kingdom. The Commonwealth Secretariat was also represented. The group was tasked with using the programme’s findings to discuss the key challenges facing Commonwealth states, potential solutions, and possible priorities to take to CHOGM 2026.
Despite diverse country contexts, it was recognised that many of these challenges are shared, and CHOGM 2026 offers a unique opportunity for the Commonwealth to collectively move from declaration to delivery. The pilot programme also highlights avenues to scale, fund and sustain change; CSCI and the CSCC should therefore continue and strengthen this work, including by institutionalising their relationship with the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Building on this support, a pre-CHOGM Wilton Park event will be held in Guyana in October 2026 to shape the future of the CSCC as a flagship Commonwealth partnership capable of delivering tangible outcomes for member states and communities across the Commonwealth, strengthening collaboration across sectors and levels of government, and helping to identify opportunities for mobilising investment.
Key takeaways from the discussion included:
- That sustainable urbanisation, and the 2022 Commonwealth Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation should remain a central priority for CHOGM 2026 and beyond, recognising the centrality of these issues to delivery of the Commonwealth Strategic Plan.
- That political buy-in for Sustainable Urbanisation from national leaders will be a key determiner of this agenda’s uptake at CHOGM 2026 and beyond.
- That Commonwealth networks, including CSCI and its component networks, offer a unique collective resource, seen as useful by many states as they develop solutions and expand capacity in response to the challenges they face.
- That the Commonwealth also offers a potential collective voice for strengthening engagement with investors and lenders.
[1] https://issuu.com/comarchitect.org/docs/declaration_on_sustainable_urbanisation?fr=xKAE9_zMzMw
[2] https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/event/advancing-sustainable-urbanisation-working-with-commonwealth-countries-to-build-a-transformative-coalition/