CAIRO, 3rd November, 2024 (WAM) – As the world’s population moves inexorably and rapidly to ever larger cities, how can we make sure that urban environments are sustainable and safe for their citizens? These questions and more will be tackled at the twelfth edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF). The World Urban Forum (WUF), a major UN conference on sustainable urban development, was set up in 2001 to address global urbanisation, one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Since then, a forum has been held every two years and this year, the conference takes place from 4 to 8 November in Cairo, Egypt.
Today, around 50 percent of the global population live in cities, and this is expected to rise to 70 percent by 2050. The move to urban centres is having a major impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.
Much of the growth will take place in Africa, where the population is projected to nearly double over the next 30 years. Cairo, along with several African cities, is likely to become one of the world’s largest metropolitan hubs, housing more than 10 million people by 2035.
“I see WUF as a big coalition in support of transformative change,” Anacláudia Rossbach, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, told UN News. “Its goal is to promote collaboration and cooperation between those involved in advancing and implementing sustainable urban development.”
The theme of WUF12 It all starts at home: Local actions for sustainable cities and communities emphasises that solutions must begin where people live, work and build their lives. There will be a focus on local actions to address the global housing crisis, which is being compounded by climate change and growing inequalities.
“By bringing the discussion closer to home and focusing on local actions, we aim to translate global goals into tangible improvements in people’s lives,” said Ms. Rossbach. “WUF12 will serve as a platform to discuss and learn from successful local initiatives, ensuring that progress made in one city can inspire and inform similar efforts elsewhere.”
Delegates will also learn about the many ways that urban planners and authorities are making cities more sustainable by, for example, developing green spaces, parks and urban forests, which help mitigate the heat island effect, improve air quality and enhance biodiversity.
For UN-Habitat, the successful outcome of WUF12 will involve the establishment of new partnerships and coalitions to advance sustainable urban development, furthering both the agency’s New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, both of which propose a vision of a better and more sustainable future for all.