Egypt to Host World Urban Forum in November

Egypt is set to host the 12th edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in November 2024, according to UN-Habitat.

The decision was taken during the first session of the Executive Board of the UN-Habitat Programme of 2023, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, held between 28-29 March.

In a statement, Permanent Representative to the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) Wael Nasr El-Din Attia said: "Egypt is keen to ensure that the 12th WUF highlights developing countries’ priorities in the field of urban development in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Attia continued that the 12th WUF will build on the results of its predecessor as well on the outcomes of the UN’s 27th Climate Change Conference in 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh which discussed topics of urban development and climate change.

The idea behind the WUF, convened under UN-Habitat, is to address the subject of rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change, and policies and tackles the challenges of sustainable urbanization.

Tens of thousands of representatives of the state, private sector, regional and international financing institutions, and civil society are expected to feature at the WUF next year in Egypt.

Founded in 2001, the forum takes place every two years in a different city.