The World Urban Forum has the following objectives:

• Raising awareness of sustainable urbanisation among stakeholders and constituencies, including the general public;

• Enhancing collective knowledge on sustainable urban development through open and inclusive debate, the exchange of best practices and policies, and the sharing of lessons learnt;

• Promoting collaboration and cooperation among diverse stakeholders and constituencies involved in advancing and implementing sustainable urbanisation.

In 2016, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development was held in Quito, Ecuador, where the New Urban Agenda was adopted in alignment with the objectives of the World Urban Forum.

ABOUT US

The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established in 2001 by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change, and policies.

Convened by UN-Habitat, the Forum is a high-level, open, and inclusive platform for addressing the challenges of sustainable urbanization.

VISION

Anacláudia Rossbach

Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

"At the Forum, we will address crucial challenges, such as housing, land use, urban planning, governance and participation. We will listen to diverse stakeholders and tackle key issues: how to ensure affordable housing for all, transform informal settlements, recover and rebuild, and enhance climate resilience. We need to build strong coalitions for better solutions to challenges posed by the global housing crisis".

The World Urban Forum is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization.

The first WUF was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002 and has been held around the world ever since. The decision to host the Thirteenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku in 2026 was officially announced during the third session of the UN-Habitat Executive Board, convened in Kenya. This globally significant event will take place from 17 to 22 May 2026.

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