The COVID pandemic continues to leave its mark on the ability of multilevel governments to cope and on the capacity of local communities to prosper. The pandemic has deteriorated city governance, in particular in relation to service delivery, and has negatively affected local democratic processes and accountability. It has deepened pre-existing resource deficits, strained social cohesion and fueled manifestations of civil discontent. From an urban law and governance perspective, the pandemic has seemingly triggered the need for: 

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• A new social contract, one that must be re-invigorated by the rule of law and respect for human rights; 

• Innovation in designing and implementing principles, accountability measures, intergovernmental support and intervention initiatives, and sustainable remedies to sustainably address failing or struggling local governance; 

• Understanding community-wide tragedy and disaster as well as socio-ecological resilience through a human rights lens; and

• Assessing the content and impact of urban initiatives aimed at tackling climate change and protecting natural resources, given that cities are the epicenters of health and environmental crises.

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Against this backdrop, UN-HABITAT, CLES (NWU) and the Wits School of Law will be hosting a joint Urban Law Day on 28 October 2021. The event will take the form of an interactive panel discussion involving urban law and governance experts from an array of geographical and scholarly backgrounds.