Italiano
The Twelfth Session of the World Urban Forum WUF12, convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from 4 to 8 November 2024, returning to the African continent after more than 20 years after its inception in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002.
Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities
WUF12 will focus on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals, shedding light on the local actions and initiatives required to curb the current global challenges affecting the daily life of people, including unaffordable housing, rising living costs, climate change, the lack of basic services, and ongoing conflicts.
The concept of localization recognizes the role of subnational governments and calls for a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach, empowering local stakeholders and fostering citizen engagement. It requires aligning actions with community priorities, recognizing the unique conditions of each locality.
Localizing the SDGs can empower local stakeholders, encourage citizen participation, and make sustainable development more responsive to local needs – positively impacting small communities and sprawling megacities alike.
WUF12 will take place as calls are made to collectively address global challenges such as rising poverty and inequality, climate change, armed conflict, and the digital divide. The forum will take place shortly after the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024, roughly five years before the deadline to deliver on the SDGs, highlighting the transformative role of sustainable cities and communities within the 2030 Global Sustainable Agenda.
The concept of “at home” extends beyond the physical structures that shelter us; it encompasses the cultural, social, economic, and environmental dimensions that define our communities. It is also an invitation to benefit from home values, innovations, solutions, and inspiration and initiate change from home: locally, together, and now.
WUF12 Dialogues
Dialogues are high-profile events, which will take place at WUF and which set the agenda for policy and action. They provide a platform for global thinkers, practitioners and decision-makers to share insights and solutions on themes of global importance and include active discussion with the audience. Discussions collect key reflections on the status of and way forward for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Each dialogue serves as a crucial lens through which to view connections between the concept of “home” and the multifaceted challenges and opportunities entailed in localization. WUF12 will foster conversations in multiple formats, such as roundtables, assemblies, special sessions, etc., which will create diverse entry points for considering the role of all urban actors, including grass roots, civil society, private sector, academia, all levels of government and international organisations, among many more.
