News in 2020
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The World Urban Forum (WUF 10) is convened by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and General Secretariat of the Executive Council.
The theme of the World Urban Forum this year is ‘Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation’, to debate the issues around sustainable urban development. Importantly there is a sense of urgency, there are only ten years left to achieve the SDGs by the target date of 2030. WUF10 will be the first major UN event of the Decade of Action which starts this month and calls for accelerating sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.
WUF 10 is the largest global conference on urbanization ever to meet in the Arab region. Abu Dhabi, meaning 'Land of the Gazelle' in Arabic, is the federal capital of the United Arab Emirates and is the largest of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The venue was the ultra-modern, premier Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, an immense forum able to comfortably host the recorded 13,000 participants.
 WUF10 Expo area Abu Dhabi 2020 © UN-Habitat/Babu Lal. |
WUF10 General area Abu Dhabi 2020 : UN-Habitat/ Azeem Baig |
UN-Habitat has a decade-long experience in organizing and convening the World Urban Forum (WUF) as a premier international gathering on urban issues. Since its inception in Nairobi, Kenya in 2002 the Forum has grown consistently in stature (footnote 1: other WUF locations)
Opening, the UN-Habitat Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif said:”The world has really changed since the first World Urban Forum back in 2002. Urbanization is now recognized as one of the defining trends of the times. But ultimately the aim has remained constant – to promote transformative change to improve living conditions for everyone.”
UN-Habitat Executive Director Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif gives her remarks during the Joint Opening for Assemblies in Abu Dhabi 2020 © UN-Habitat/Julius Mwelu |
UN-Habitat Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif |
The theme of WUF 10 ‘Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation’, aimed to focus on harnessing culture and innovation as drivers of sustainable urban development. With 4.4 billion people living in the world’s urban areas, cities are humanity’s real building blocks with their economic contribution, ever increasing population, high density, cultural diversity, political dominance, and innovative edge. As urban areas become more heterogeneous, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual, culture and innovation are becoming mutually reinforcing means of supporting sustainable urban development.
Headlining the proceedings are six thematic dialogues exploring how culture and innovation can contribute to sustainable urbanization. These themes include urbanisation issues around: Culture & Innovative Technologies, driving sustainable urbanization, urban planning & heritage Preservation/Regeneration, and partnerships & initiatives (see https://wuf.unhabitat.org/wuf10-programme/Dialogues)
Alongside High Level Dialogues and Roundtables, there are Assemblies for
young people, women, local and regional governments, grassroots
communities and business, as well as 400 events hosted by partners.
WUF 10 debating forums innovatively encourage discussion, featuring an
Urban Expo with over 133 exhibitors from 68 countries, a Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG) Zone, an Urban Library and the UN-Habitat Better
Cities Film Festival. Throughout the week 450 speakers addressed
Global leaders, Experts, Academics, Ministers, Mayors, Policy makers,
Business people, Land and built environment professionals and Community
leaders.
 Exhibition WUF 10 © UN-Habitat/Julius Mwelu. |
 WUF 10 |
The Forum meetings are divided into dialogue sessions, special sessions, roundtables, youth, gender and business assemblies, networking events, caucus meetings, training events along with an exciting array of side events, exhibitions, cultural events and much more. See foot note below and described at: https://wuf.unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/WUF10_Newsletter_01_ENG.pdf
It is highly recommended to be well organised with a schedule in order to productively either join one meeting or move between them.
To provide a flavour Vice President Diane Dumashie attended:
 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Zone Abu Dhabi 2020, copyright: UN-Habitat/ Waseem Ali |
 D Dumashie on the GLTN Special Session panel on Land Governance and Urban Growth |
In addition,
GLTN key partners. Left: Robert Lewis-Lettington head of Land, Housing and Shelter Section and Lead GLTN, Centre: Diane Dumashie Vice President FIG, Right: Danilo Antonio GLTN.
Our partner events:
A number of partner land-related events were attended during the WUF
week.
The full WUF 10 program may be found here:
https://wuf.unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/WUF10_Programme_FINAL_1-Feb2020.pdf
In conclusion, WUF is the premier international gathering for exchanging
views and experiences on sustainable urbanization in all its aspects. It ends with the Abu Dhabi Declared Actions that includes commitments
from international organizations, national, local and regional
governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and others for
the next two years and beyond to support the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by world leaders in 2015. It also provides partners and participants space to declare their
actions and contribute to the common goal of accelerating the
achievement of sustainable urban development for all.
See
https://wuf.unhabitat.org/page/wuf10-declared-actions-voluntary-contributions
This is truly a huge event, with large gatherings taking place
simultaneously bringing together a multiplicity of actors to discuss how
they can all contribute to sustainable development. It is a
stimulating and ideal place to forge new partnerships, share knowledge
and network.
If you wish to understand cutting edge discussions, rub shoulders with
your own network but crucially those of others, registration for WUF is
open to everyone, free of charge with the next WUF 11 scheduled to be
held in Poland in 2022.
For more information on WUF and its programme go to
https://wuf.unhabitat.org/.
Barcelona in 2004, Vancouver in2006, Nanjing in 2008, Rio de Janeiro in 2010, Naples in 2012, Medellin in 2014, and Kuala Lumpur in 2018
Abridged from https://wuf.unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/WUF10_Newsletter_01_ENG.pdf
 Expo area training Abu Dhabi 2020 © UN-Habitat/Babu Lal, |
Women’s Assembly, Abu Dhabi 2020 © UN-Habitat/ Azeem Baig, |
 Urban Library, Abu Dhabi 2020 © UN-Habitat/ Mayur |
Diane Dumashie
3 April 2020
