Highlights and images for 8 February 2020

Summary



The World Urban Forum’s tenth session (WUF10) convened on Saturday, starting with a flag-raising ceremony in the morning. After a joint opening plenary, the Women’s Assembly, Business Assembly, Grassroots Assembly and the Urban Youth Assembly met in parallel throughout the day, while the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments met in the afternoon.Opening the Assemblies, Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport, encouraged the forum to engage in “masterpiecing” through an exchange of views and experiences throughout the week. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN-Habitat, called for WUF10 to be an action-oriented and inclusive meeting, noting that implementation happens primarily at the local level.The Urban Youth Assembly produced a draft ‘WUF10 Children and Youth DeclarAction’ which calls on governments and local authorities to improve the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The Grassroots Assembly's recommendations focused on “the struggle for recognition, acceptance and learning from each other that governments and grassroots groups can do together” and suggested that achieving the SDGs and addressing climate change will require significant learning, to which grassroots groups have a strong potential to make contributions.The World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments considered: how urbanization shapes, and is shaped by, culture and innovation; how cities can maximize tradition and modernity to achieve sustainable outcomes; and the role of technology in shaping a new future for cities to achieve the global goals.The Women’s Assembly analyzed ways to plan gender-responsive cities and identified potential barriers to the effective engagement of women in culture and innovation.The Business Assembly explored four operational areas that enable businesses to contribute more effectively to the achievement of sustainable urbanization at scale, including through investment, co-creation, joint advocacy, and adopting norms and standards.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from WUF10. In addition, a summary report has also been produce in HTML and PDF.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz

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Falah Al Ahbabi, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport, and Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, preside over the flag-raising ceremony at the start of WUF10.

Flag-bearers for the United Arab Emirates and United Nations flags at the opening of WUF10

Maimunah Mohd Sharif makes her opening remarks
Violet Shivutse, Huairou Commission
Arsalaan Ahmed, HSBC Amanah
Siraj Sait, Co-Chair of the UN-Habitat Stakeholder Advisory Group Enterprise
The audience during the opening session
A traditional oud player entertains the audience.
Participants take notes during the opening session.
A member of the media during the opening of the Assemblies
Urban Youth Assembly
Panelists, moderators and partners pose for a group photo during the opening plenary of the Urban Youth Assembly.
A view of the room during the opening plenary
Moderator Kehkashan Basu
Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
Juan Ramón Lazcano De la Concha, Vice Mayor, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
Participants listen to the discussion.
Moderator Raphael Obonyo
Joyce Msuya, UNEP, and climate activist Vanessa Nakate
Christine Knudsen, UN-Habitat
Senegalese rapper Didier Awadi
Comments from the floor during the second segment of the 'Youth and the Decade of Action' high-level panel
Stefan Germann, Botnar Foundation
World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments
A view of the room
Carlos Martínez, Mayor of Soria
Bernadia Irawati, United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific
A participant takes a photo during the session.
Arantza Leturiondo, Basque Country
Xolani Sotashe, City of Cape Town
Steven Weir, Habitat for Humanity
Fréderic Vallier, Council of European Municipalities and Regions
Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana
Grassroots Assembly
A view of the room during a panel discussion
Participants confer during the session
Zuraida Kamaruddin, Minister for Housing and Local Government, Malaysia
Participants convene in breakout sessions to discuss inclusion in development frameworks, meaningful partnerships, and diversity.
Sheela Patel, Slum Dwellers International, makes a comment.
Ann Wanjiru Mbuthia, Mlahra Community Organisation, Kenya, addresses participants.
Moderator Beth Chitekwe-Biti
Participants during the assembly
Women's Assembly
A view of the room
Ana Lucy Bengochea Martínez, WAGUCHA and Community Practitioner's Platform, Honduras
Moderator Kathryn Travers
Around the Venue
Delegates from Iran take a selfie.

 

Participants

Non-state coalitions
Children and Youth
Youth