Highlights and images for 8 February 2020

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.