General Information

General Information

The global Fast-Track Cities 2026 conference, taking place 11-13 October 2026 in Berlin, Germany, is the next biennial gathering of urban health leaders committed to achieving the targets in the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities. With less than five years remaining to achieve these and other health-related-Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, the conference will convene at a pivotal moment that demands unified action. The conference’s theme, Unity of Purpose, underscores the collective resolve needed to protect progress, confront emerging challenges, and accelerate integrated action.

The Fast-Track Cities network has grown into a powerful global movement of more than 600 cities and municipalities committed to advancing equitable, person-centered responses to HIV, tuberculosis (TB), viral hepatitis, and syndemic conditions. Given rising rates of other communicable and non-communicable diseases inequitably affect the same populations, as do the escalating health impacts of climate change, cities stand at critical juncture in addressing the world’s most urgent public health challenges. The conference will build on the Fast-Track Cities network’s legacy by creating a shared space for unity of purpose.

Why This Conference Matters

Fast-Track Cities have demonstrated that progress is possible when political will, community leadership, and data-driven action are aligned. Yet today’s health landscape remains deeply complex. HIV service disruptions, widening non-communicable disease burdens, post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery, rising inequality, and climate-related threats jeopardize gains made over decades and disproportionately impact urban populations. The fast-approaching 2030 deadline for the health-related SDGs underscores the urgency to accelerate implementation, scale what works, and meaningfully address persistent gaps across the continuum of human health.

Siloed approaches to health are no longer viable in a world where diseases, determinants, and climate-related shocks intersect. Achieving the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities commitments requires integrated, cross-cutting responses that link communicable and non-communicable diseases, environmental health, mental health, and social determinants within a unified urban health framework. In partnership with other urban health initiatives, Fast-Track Cities 2026 will spotlight models of integration that strengthen health systems, reduce inequities, and expand access to person-centered, whole-of-society solutions.

The Fast-Track Cities 2026 conference provides a platform to reinvigorate political commitment to urban action and strengthen urban health leadership across HIV, TB, viral hepatitis, and other communicable and non-communicable diseases through multisectoral approaches that leverage shared innovation. The goal is to exchange best practices and data-driven solutions that can be scaled across the Fast-Track Cities network, while elevating community voices, particularly those who are too often marginalized or left behind. Ultimately, the conference aims to promote unity of purpose at a time when health equity and human rights are increasingly under threat.

Who Will Convene in Berlin

The Fast-Track Cities 2026 conference will bring together a diverse and influential global community that reflect the urban and global health ecosystems, including:

• Mayors, governors, and municipal leaders
• Public health officials, clinicians, and researchers
• Community-based and civil society organizations
• Urban planners and climate resilience experts
• Philanthropic, bilateral, and multilateral agencies
• UN agencies and global health institutions
• Private-sector innovators and digital health partners
• People living with and affected by HIV and other health condition

This cross-sector coalition reflects the central philosophy of the Fast-Track Cities movement: cities drive progress when all voices – governmental, public health, scientific, community, and private sector – are brought to the table as equal partners.

A Platform for Momentum, Innovation, and Equity

The Fast-Track Cities 2026 conference will feature dynamic plenaries, high-level panels, skills-building workshops, scientific abstract sessions, town halls, and community-led dialogues. The conference program’s guiding principle is as a call to action to maintain momentum, protect progress, and boldly chart the path toward healthier, more resilient and inclusive cities. The conference program will be available in December 2025.

Berlin: A Symbol of Unity and Possibility

Hosting the conference in Berlin, a Fast-Track City since 2017 defined by its history of division and its remarkable journey toward unification, reinforces the core theme of solidarity that underpins the Fast-Track Cities movement. Berlin’s leadership in urban health, social inclusion, and climate action makes it an ideal venue to reaffirm our global commitment to building healthier, inclusive, and resilient cities.