Ahead of CHOGM 2026 the CSCI should develop an implementation plan drawing on the outcomes of the CSCC and engagement with member states, High Commissioners and other partners. The plan will:
- Frame the trajectory of urbanisation and the complex challenges and opportunities for the Commonwealth
- Propose actions to better leverage the Commonwealth and its networks to implement the commitments of the Commonwealth Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation
- Explore a collective Commonwealth approach to strengthening partnerships with the private sector to facilitate urban investment capacity and opportunities across the Commonwealth. This will aim to connect investment opportunities, as well as employment and business opportunities in cities, contributing to the Commonwealth’s trade and investment agenda.
Based on the discussions at Wilton Park, the following outline some key points of discussion taken away by CSCI.
Priorities for CHOGM 2026
- Building on the 2022 Commonwealth Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation, CHOGM 2026 should commit to an active CSCC process and to a ten-year implementation plan for sustainable urbanisation.
- The agenda should be taken forward through the Commonwealth ministerial process, with national leaders taking ownership to drive it forward.
Some of the greatest challenges facing member states
- Housing crises, particularly restricted availability and a lack of affordable housing.
- Rapid and unplanned urban sprawl, compounded by a shortage of professional planning and resource mobilisation capacity, particularly in secondary cities.
- Access to adequate or favourable finance at the city level in order to implement change.
- Departmental siloes and lack of alignment between local and national governments.
- Insufficient or out-of-date training courses for professional skills, which make appropriate planning and delivery significantly harder.
- Uncertainty around whether incoming governments will continue commitments to long-term programmes.
- The impact of climate change and natural hazards on urbanisation, with consequences for both planning systems and the cost of delivery.
- Insecure land tenure, contested ownership and incomplete land records, which constrain housing delivery, planning and access to finance.
- Limited access to, and management and use of, reliable data to inform decision making on urbanisation.
The Commonwealth’s role in potential solutions
- The formal institutionalisation of an entity, such as CSCI, for pushing this agenda, and the formalisation of the relationship between CSCI and the Secretariat.
- Leveraging the Commonwealth network to strengthen knowledge, skills and resource sharing between member states.
- Utilising this network as a collective to strengthen engagement with lenders, as was achieved with the Vulnerability Index.
- Expanding the Commonwealth’s supportive work with member states, including legislative solutions to their challenges and greater engagement with communities.