It’s already been a few weeks since I took part in The World Urban Forum 12, a global conference on urbanization established by the United Nations, in Egypt between 4-8 November. It was a remarkable opportunity to bring together global experts, practitioners, and leaders to address major global challenges as cities worldwide face pressures, particularly from conflicts and natural disasters.
Themed "It All Starts at Home: Local Action for Sustainable Cities & Communities", the Forum allowed participants to discuss the state of affairs of various urban challenges, but also explore actionable solutions for the New Urban Agenda including climate change mitigation, how to promote adequate housing and improved land tenure systems, particularly in areas of displacement and conflict. It stressed the need to translate declarations into actions and shift the perception of urbanization from a problem to a solution. This emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships and building capacities for accessible data repositories and transdisciplinary research.
The Forum highlighted several initiatives and community-driven projects for building sustainable cities, improving housing for marginalized groups and access to informal settlements. The United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC) contributed with two examples of innovative projects: the first, to bridge water access for the urban poor in Somaliland (see page 31 of this booklet) and the second, to improve data collection for solid waste generation in Kenya. Partners in these projects have been discussing how innovations based on open data about cities can contribute to achieving the SDGs. Another initiative was presented by UIA, a global architecture organization, which is implementing the Informal Settlements program to upgrade informal settlements and improve the quality of public spaces and the quality of life of residents. Finally, it’s worth mentioning the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY), which provides a fund for implementing development projects that have been discussed in the session on “Urban Recovery Strategies in Conflict-affected Arab States”.
Land-based finance emerged as a critical tool for unlocking investment in sustainable urban development including reversing municipal deficits through participatory budgeting. With regard to gender, the Forum emphasized the importance of securing women's rights to land as a key factor in achieving resilience and sustainable development, especially in times of crisis. It highlighted the “Women-Led Cities” concept as part of the recent launch of the UN’s new gender equality strategy that fosters female leadership and community-led planning.
One of the key takeaways from the Forum was the importance of enhancing climate resilience through comprehensive participatory approaches, global partnerships and improved climate finance. We need to provide the conditions for communities to harness their potential as catalysts for positive change at the local level. One challenge is to address the financing gap, a topic discussed in a session with cases from Egypt and Brazil. It exposed the disparity between large and smaller cities in accessing climate finance, and the need for tailored financing mechanisms and technical assistance for climate projects in smaller municipalities.
With a focus on the Arab states, the Forum discussed the challenges the region faces in securing land rights and equitable access to land resources especially for vulnerable groups. Different cases of struggles due to the lack of registration rights and the need for inclusive land tenure systems were mentioned. They included the Yazidi in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, both exacerbating the difficulties of securing land rights for minorities; and the case of Sudan, where the lack of transparency in the land registry contributes to corruption with dire consequences for land rights of vulnerable groups.
Many of these discussions will be continued during the Third Arab Land Conference, which the Government of Morocco announced it will host in Rabat from 18-20 February 2025. Though the Conference will discuss challenges both in rural areas and in cities, I anticipate that urban land issues will be high on their agenda, as a growing number of people in the region are pushed out of rural zones due to conflicts and climate pressures.
