Engineer Sherif El-Sharbeni, Egypt’s Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, along with Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development, and Dr. Rania Hedia, Regional Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), held a comprehensive meeting to review preparations for Egypt’s hosting of the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) this November. The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdelkhaleq Ibrahim, Assistant Minister for Technical Affairs, Ambassador Atef Salem, General Coordinator of the Forum, and officials from the Ministries of Housing, Local Development, and Finance.
El-Sharbeni emphasized that the World Urban Forum is the second-largest event on the United Nations agenda, following the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), which Egypt successfully hosted in Sharm El Sheikh. He highlighted that winning the bid to host the forum underscores Egypt’s success in organizing and hosting global conferences and presents an opportunity to showcase Egypt’s progress in urban development over recent years under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The Minister noted that Egypt will be the first African country to host the World Urban Forum since its inaugural session in Nairobi, Kenya, and the second Arab country after Abu Dhabi, which hosted the 10th session. The World Urban Forum is the leading global platform addressing all aspects of sustainable urban development, and Egypt’s hosting of the event adds significantly to its local, regional, and global urban and cultural prestige.
El-Sharbeni attributed Egypt’s successful bid to host WUF12 to the New Urban Communities Authority, receiving the UN-Habitat’s 2021 Recognition Award for Sustainable Urban Development. This accolade was awarded from among over 170 nominations, recognizing Egypt’s achievements in providing suitable housing and creating comprehensive, well-connected urban communities.
Dr. Manal Awad affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring the forum’s success by delivering high standards in organization, events, sessions, and discussions, as well as cultural and tourism aspects. She noted that the forum represents a significant opportunity to highlight Egypt’s achievements in urban development, addressing informal settlements, city planning, and achieving urban development goals.
The Minister of Local Development instructed all technical teams involved in organizing the forum to expedite necessary coordination and communication with relevant ministries and agencies, emphasizing the urgency given the approaching event date.
During the meeting, the General Coordinator of the World Urban Forum reviewed the coordination efforts between the Ministries of Housing and Local Development and partner agencies, and the outcomes of meetings with UN-Habitat delegations. Dr. Rania Hedia praised the efforts by the Egyptian government, particularly the Ministries of Housing and Local Development, in preparing for the forum and coordinating between the parties involved.
Hedia expressed confidence in Egypt’s capability to host the upcoming forum in a manner befitting both Egypt and the United Nations, especially following the successful hosting of the climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh.
The meeting also included a review of preparations for the World Cities Day event, organized by the Ministry of Local Development in Alexandria on October 31, in collaboration with UN-Habitat, preceding the World Urban Forum.
It was agreed that coordination between the Ministries of Housing and Local Development and UN-Habitat would continue to ensure the successful execution of the forum, with ongoing oversight from political leadership and the Prime Minister on all developments related to Egypt’s hosting of the upcoming forum.
