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From Slums to Solutions: Religious Leaders Reveal What's Really Happening in Cities Worldwide

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A global conversation on making our cities safer, fairer, and more sustainable for everyone

This report comes from the fourth of five online conversations held as part of the 2026 JCoR SDG Lab — a project by the Justice Coalition of Religious (JCoR). These conversations gave Catholic Sisters, Brothers, priests, and their partners around the world a chance to share what's really happening in their countries when it comes to sustainable development.


This particular session took place on July 30, 2026, and focused on one specific goal: making cities and towns safer, more inclusive, and better able to handle challenges — officially known as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11.



Why This Conversation Matters


Every year, the United Nations holds a big meeting called the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), where world leaders check in on progress toward the UN's Sustainable Development Goals — 17 global goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and improving life for everyone by 2030. This year's forum ran from July 7–15, 2026, and government leaders shared voluntary updates on how their countries are doing.

In 2026, five goals took center stage:


  • Goal 6 – Clean water and sanitation

  • Goal 7 – Affordable, clean energy

  • Goal 9 – Better infrastructure, innovation, and industry

  • Goal 11 – Sustainable cities and communities

  • Goal 17 – Stronger partnerships to get things done


But it's not just governments who get a say. Everyday citizens, faith groups, and community organizations also get the chance to speak up at the HLPF, sharing what they're seeing on the ground. That's where JCoR came in.


What Is the JCoR SDG Lab?


To make sure grassroots voices were heard, JCoR organized a five-day series of virtual discussions — the "SDG Lab" — running from July 27–31, 2026. Each day tackled a different one of the five priority goals, giving Religious Sisters, Brothers, and priests from around the world a platform to share honest, firsthand accounts of what's working — and what isn't — in their own communities.



Who Spoke About Sustainable Cities?


For this session on sustainable cities, three speakers shared their perspectives:

  • Fr. Anthony Prakash Lohale – Dominican Friars & Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary–Loreto Generalate (Canada)

  • Br. Joel Gaspar Beltrame – Claretian Missionaries (Brazil)

  • Sr. Rosemary Mwagarezano – Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (Zimbabwe)


Each speaker brought a unique, on-the-ground view of what sustainable urban development looks like in their part of the world — from Canada to Brazil to Zimbabwe — offering real examples of communities working toward cities that are safer, more inclusive, and built to last.



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