The Summit Commissioner for the second consecutive year, Joan Clos, has an outstanding public experience in the industrial sector. He was Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of UN-Habitat (2010-2017), the UN programme responsible for promoting sustainable, resilient and prosperous cities. During his tenure, he led the development of the New Urban Agenda and was appointed Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference.

Before joining the United Nations, between 2006 and 2008, he was Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade of Spain and from 2008 to 2010, he was Spanish Ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

With an extensive career in public service and diplomacy, he graduated in medicine from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, subsequently specialised in Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and joined the municipal government of Barcelona as Director of Public Health in 1979.

Joan Clos was twice elected mayor of his home city of Barcelona from 1997 to 2006, having been a councillor between 1983 and 1987, and deputy mayor for finance and budget, playing a key role in the preparation of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games

During his time as mayor, Clos received several awards, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1999 for the transformation of Barcelona and, in 2002, the UN-Habitat Award of Honour for the promotion of global cooperation between local authorities and the United Nations.

At the international level, in 1998, Clos was elected President of Metropolis, the international network of cities. Two years later, he was elected President of the World Association of Cities and Local Authorities. Between 2000 and 2007, he chaired the United Nations Advisory Committee for Local Authorities. And between 1997 and 2003, he was a member of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.

In 2016, he received the Jane Jacobs Medal from the Rockefeller Foundation in recognition of his leadership in advancing the New Urban Agenda.