The increasing pace of urbanization implies a growing demand for basic goods and services and local administrations are finding it more and more difficult to meet the needs for urban populations. The COVID-19 pandemic has added new challenges, worsening conditions for the most vulnerable. The main objective of the Green Cities Action Programme is to increase people’s wellbeing through increased availability of and access to products and services provided by green spaces including urban and peri-urban forestry, agriculture and by sustainable food systems.
The main beneficiaries of the programme will be urban dwellers in the target cities, national and sub-national governments and a variety of stakeholders related to green spaces, urban forestry, and urban agri-food systems.
The Green Cities Action Programme includes four components for which FAO will provide support:

• The Enabling Environment component will focus on actions supporting the development
of risk and vulnerability assessments, evidence-based and inclusive policies, planning and
governance frameworks at national and sub-national levels to foster investments and
promote innovations in resilient and green spaces and sustainable urban food systems.

• Actions for metropolitan cities: they play a crucial role in contributing to growth and wealth at national level.

• Actions for intermediary cities: they play a primary role in connecting important rural and urban areas to basic facilities and services.

• Actions for small cities: they are characterised by land availability, potential for healthier diets and proximity and close interactions to where food is produced.

The Green Cities Action Programme will involve 100 cities (15 metropolitan, 40 intermediary and 45 small cities) in 15 countries over a period of three years.

The main technical entry points for action at city level include green spaces including urban forestry and urban and peri-urban agriculture, food processing and distribution, food environments as well as food and other waste management. Water and energy are also integrated as cross-cutting issues.
The total budget required to implement the three-year action plan will be financed by FAO regular and extra-budgetary resources and by the concerned countries and cities.