12th World Urban Forum to Be Hosted in Cairo in November

Established by the United Nations in 2001, the World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanisation. Held every two years, it was first inaugurated in Nairobi in 2002. This year, the 12th edition of the WUF returns to Africa in collaboration with the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The conference is set to take place in Cairo at the Egypt International Exhibition Center from November 4th to the 8th, 2024. To date, WUF12 has seen 4,000 registrations from participants across 146 countries, with registration open until October 30, 2024. 

As part of this biannual tradition, each WUF edition revolves around a different theme, chosen primarily to align with its overarching objectives: raising awareness of sustainable urbanisation, improving collective knowledge on sustainable urban development, and promoting collaboration and cooperation among stakeholders and constituencies involved in advancing and implementing sustainable urbanisation.

Considering the pressing issues affecting the daily lives of urban citizens - such as the availability and affordability of housing, the ease of commuting, access to safe public spaces, and the impacts of climate change - this year’s WUF12 explores the transformative power of localised actions under the theme 'It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities'. 

These issues at hand are far from trivial; they pose threats to our shared urban existence and impact how 4.4 billion people live, work and find happiness across cities and communities. This concept of “home” extends beyond the physical shelter structures to include the cultural, social, economic, and environmental dimensions of daily life. It embodies the intangible attributes of belonging, meaning, and values that shape the sustainability of our cities and communities. 

For this reason, the Forum invites participants to harness their home values, innovative solutions, and inspiration from the event to drive transformational change through three core themes: “locally,” “together,” and “now.” 

The event will be supported by six dialogues, curated by the UN-Habitat. Each exploring a different dimension of the theme, the dialogues will provide structure to the whole Forum and serve as conceptual anchors to activities and discussions, as well as setting the agenda for policy and action.