爱思英语编者按：12月6日，第68届联合国大会第二委员会通过有关人类住区问题的决议，决定自2014年起将每年的10月31日设为“世界城市日”。

Message on World Cities Day

世界城市日致辞

31 October 2014

2014年10月31日

With the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to establish World Cities Day, we now have an annual date on which to celebrate one of humankind’s greatest and most complex creations.

联合国大会决定设立世界城市日后，我们现在就有了一个每年庆祝人类最伟大、最复杂的发明创造的日子。

This new day is one of the legacies of Expo 2010 Shanghai, at which the international community explored urban best practices and concepts from all over the world. So it is fitting that Shanghai is hosting the main inaugural event of this new UN observance.

这个新的日子可以追溯到2010年上海世博会，当时国际社会探讨了世界各地在城市建设方面的最佳做法和理念。因此，由上海主办这个新的联合国纪念日的首次主要活动，可谓恰如其分。

The theme of this first World Cities Day – “Leading Urban Transformations” – highlights the pioneering power of cities. In a world where already over half the population lives in urban areas, the human future is largely an urban future. We must get urbanization right, which means reducing greenhouse emissions, strengthening resilience, ensuring basic services such as water and sanitation and designing safe public streets and spaces for all to share. Liveable cities are crucial not only for city-dwellers but also for providing solutions to some of the key aspects of sustainable development.

把“引领城市变革”作为首个世界城市日的主题，突出了城市的开拓能力。全世界已有半数以上的人口生活在城市地区，因此，人类的未来在很大程度上就是城市的未来。我们必须把城市化搞好，这意味着要减少温室气体排放，增强复原能力，确保供水和环境卫生等基本服务，设计安全的公共街道和场所供大家分享。宜居城市的重要性既关系到城市居民，又关系到为可持续发展的一些关键环节提出解决办法。

Today is also a moment to recognize the contributions of mayors and other city leaders.  Urban transformations require political will and the capacity to coordinate many actors and stakeholders. Mayors give voice to their citizens and play a central role in building well-planned cities and making them engines of prosperity, innovation and inclusiveness.

我们也借今天这个机会表彰城市市长和其他的城市领导人士所作的贡献。城市变革需要政治意愿，还需要协调许多行动者和利益攸关方的能力。市长们表达了市民的心声，而且在建设规划完善的城市并使城市成为繁荣、创新和包容的动力方面发挥核心作用。

In 2016, the international community will come together for the third United Nations Conference of Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). As we reflect on our urban future, let us seize all the opportunities cities offer to create a new and transformative urban agenda.

国际社会将在2016年共同举办第三次联合国住房和城市可持续发展会议（人居三）。在我们展望城市的未来之际，让我们抓住城市提供的所有机会，提出一个崭新的、具有变革意义的城市议程。