The Walking Ambassadors programme. Multi-level action for safer, more resilient housing

Walking is the most universal form of urban mobility and a critical connector between housing, services, livelihoods and social life. Yet, despite its foundational role in everyday urban living, walking remains under-represented in governance, planning and investment frameworks, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts and cities of the Global South. This networking session, co-organised by UN-Habitat and the International Federation of Pedestrians, marks the launch of the Walking Ambassadors programme: a scalable mechanism designed to strengthen walking representation through multi-level, cross-sectoral ambassador teams operating at city, regional and national levels. Rather than relying on single-profile champions, the programme is explicitly designed around teams of Walking Ambassadors, combining complementary roles across community members and caregivers, civil-society actors, academic researchers, technical professionals and representatives from different levels of government. This structure allows walking to be addressed simultaneously as lived experience, technical practice and public policy, increasing legitimacy and implementation capacity. The session is conceived as a purpose-driven networking and co-design space, not a one-directional launch. It serves three interconnected functions. Provides a platform to engage funders, development partners and institutions interested in supporting pilot phases and scaling under the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport. Facilitates the identification of potential ambassadors and host organisations across regions and governance levels. Creates a structured opportunity to gather expert and practitioner feedback to refine the programme’s design, governance safeguards and implementation model before large-scale roll-out. Drawing on concrete practices from different regions, such as health promoters documenting walkability, school-based walking champions, neighbourhood facilitators mediating with cities, academic–civil society collaborations supporting informal settlement upgrading, and governmental roles linked to walking, the session highlights how multi-actor ambassador teams can bridge institutional gaps and strengthen people-centred urban development. By positioning walking as a core component of adequate housing, safe neighbourhoods and resilient cities, the session aims to mobilise partnerships, funding pathways and shared ownership to kickstart a robust and inclusive global initiative.