UN-Habitat official: Many universities worldwide not integrated with cities

In many countries, universities located in cities are not sufficiently connected to those cities, Rafael Tuts, Director of the Global Solutions Division at UN-Habitat, said at the Global Launch of the Master in City Administration (MCA) Program at WUF13 in Baku, Report informs.

Tuts highlighted the need to strengthen ties between academia and urban life: "Efforts must continue to bring the university into the city and the city into the university. This should happen in many countries as a sustained effort. Later, it can be complemented by MCA as a way to bring excellence, expertise, and leadership potential. It means we are strengthening capacity – a global initiative to empower city leaders, and universities must be engaged to build that potential."

He noted that many countries still lag behind and fail to harness the opportunities offered by urbanization: "UN member states have adopted the Pact for the Future, which calls for stronger cooperation and integration between local and regional governments and the UN system. This recognizes that closer ties with the UN will accelerate global agendas. Local action has power and proximity, especially regarding the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. The New Urban Agenda is transformative in terms of commitments, but its implementation over the next decade requires significant capacity strengthening."