The 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12), organized by UN-Habitat in Cairo from November 4-8, brought together a record-breaking 24,000 participants from 182 countries, making it one of the United Nations’ largest gatherings, second only to climate COPs. With the theme “It All Starts at Home,” the event highlighted the need for cities to prioritize sustainable and affordable housing, urban resilience, and to fund localized Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event also offered an opportunity to underscore cities’ roles as essential drivers of change and called for increased cooperation between local governments and international bodies.
In one of the participating mayor’s address a key message was conveyed to all participating stakeholders: “The most important is that you trust cities, partner with cities, and invest in cities.” This call resonated throughout discussions and workshops, as leaders explored inclusive multilateralism and the imperative to build resilient urban environments equipped to handle demographic, ecological, and technological transitions.
Prioritizing Key Urban Challenges and Opportunities
The forum centered on three critical urban challenges:
- Affordable and Sustainable Housing – with discussions emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to urban planning.
- Climate Change and Urban Resilience – exploring how cities can become more resilient to climate impacts.
- Financing SDG Localization – underlining the importance of financing as an investment in the future of sustainable urban development.
Social justice, governance, and multilateral cooperation were prominent throughout the forum, with UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach calling for balanced investment in sustainable infrastructure and policies that respect human rights and advance social justice. Throughout the Urban Expo, attendees engaged with innovative solutions addressing urban challenges and shared critical feedback on urbanization needs.
Showcasing Innovation and Global Partnerships
The Global Cities Hub (GCH) advanced the discourse on city diplomacy and local and regional governments’ (LRGs) cooperation with international organizations through several high-profile engagements:
- Multilateral Diplomacy in Crisis Management: GCH organized a panel discussion on the critical role of cities in coordinating with international organizations during crises. This session featured insights from representatives of cities and international organizations, including Clare Hart (Montpellier) and Pascal Rapillard (Geneva).
- Arab Mayors Academy: GCH joined discussions on urban resilience and quality of life improvement, following the academy’s focus on city diplomacy and multilateral collaboration.
- Combatting Plastic Pollution: Promoting local perspectives in the plastic pollution treaty negotiations, the GCH highlighted why cities are pivotal in driving circular, sustainable solutions.
- BRICS Local Climate Action: GCH spotlighted the need for vertical cooperation while advancing BRICS’ local climate initiatives. The findings about 20 BRICS cities’ activities are supposed to be incorporated into the IPCC report.
Strengthening multi-stakeholder and multi-level cooperation
WUF is becoming one of the major UN events and its expansion echoes the need to elevate urbanization to the prominence of climate change in global agendas. The forum concluded with commitments to strengthen partnerships with cities and regional governments. Plans are underway for further collaborations, including expanding city participation in international platforms like the 2025 Social Summit in Qatar, the 2025 Financing for Development Conference in Spain and the 2026 WUF13 in Azerbaijan.
WUF is gaining attraction among all relevant stakeholders as the interconnection of issues is increasingly admitted. Several IOs and IFIs were present and active in various forms: G7 Italian presidency presentation, BRICS city panel, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, etc. UCLG as lead of the Global Task Force organized the Local and Regional Governments Assembly among other events.
With more than 80 mayors and ministers participating, WUF12 was a powerful showcase of the growing influence of cities in international policy. The event underscored the importance of direct LRG engagement in shaping UN processes, enhancing global resilience, and advocating for sustainable urban development that prioritizes equity and opportunity for all.
The “Cairo Call to Action” outcome document calls for – among others – urgent action to address the global housing crisis, unlocking finance for cities and communities, and harnessing culture and heritage as an asset for sustainability. It also puts forward the need of sustaining a systemic representation of local actors at all levels, because “localization can only happen when all relevant stakeholders, cities and communities have decision-making power including through meaningful dialogue”. “Local action is more impactful when driven by coalitions that bring together communities, local and national governments, the private sector and civil society.”