The 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) addressed the housing crisis in terms of managing the impacts of displacement due to war and conflict, promoting social cohesion and inclusivity through urban planning and design, and addressing environmental sustainability concerns, including through waste management and circular economy approaches.

Convening between the Summit of the Future (SoF) and the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29), the Forum was an opportunity to lend momentum and solidify key global commitments for sustainable development, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writes.

According to the ENB summary report of the meeting, the Forum’s planned outcome document, the Cairo Call to Action, reaffirms participants’ commitment to promote sustainable urbanization through the New Urban Agenda (NUA), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Pact for the Future.

ENB highlights the current humanitarian challenges referenced in the Call and the role that local governments play in responding to the needs of those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. The Call, it notes, outlines ten substantive action points, urging:

• Addressing the global housing crisis in terms of reconstruction and recovery, access to basic services, and housing affordability;
• Empowering local actors to achieve global goals;
• Sustaining systemic representation of local actors in local and national decision making;
• Sharing urban spaces inclusively with women, children and youth, persons with disabilities, the elderly, Indigenous groups, low-income households, migrants, refugees, and others; and
• Delivering better outcomes through participatory urban planning, including a holistic approach to the social, ecological, and economic functions of land, including land rights, and the promotion of “people-centered smart cities.”

Unlocking and increasing finance for cities and communities through accessing financial markets and other untapped sources of revenue, and ensuring equity and justice, including climate action, are also among the actions highlighted. In addition, the document calls for: co-producing and using local, grassroots, and disaggregated data in decision making; integrating culture and heritage in urban development; and scaling up local action through coalitions.

WUF12 convened from 4-8 November 2024 in Cairo, Egypt, marking the Forum’s return to the African continent after 20 years. WUF12 was the largest in the Forum’s history, with more than 63,000 people from 182 countries participating at the venue and online and more than 700 partner-led events. [ENB Coverage of WUF12]