1. THE WORLD URBAN FORUM
Secretariat of the Governing Council, External Relations and Inter-Governmental Affairs
Presented at the Induction briefing of
new Permanent Representatives to UN-HABITAT by
Ms. Mariam Yunusa
Coordinator, World Urban Forum
17 September 2007

2. Establishment of the World Urban Forum
The World Urban Forum was established by Resolution 18/5 in 2001 when the then Commission on Human Settlements requested the Executive Director UN-Habitat to promote a merger of the Urban Environment Forum and the International Forum on Urban Poverty into a new Urban Forum.

3. Functions of the Forum
The World Urban Forum is inter-sessional, and meets biennially to facilitate the exchange of experience/ideas and advancement of collective knowledge among cities and their development partners.
It is not an inter-governmental meeting, but a non-legislative technical forum in which experts can exchange views and practices on the challenges of urbanisation.
It is an advisory body to the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT on international cooperation in shelter and urban development.

4. Participants at the Forum
All Member States
Local Authorities
Inter-Governmental Organizations
Non-Governmental Organizations
International Organizations
Community Groups
Urban Business Professionals
Academics and Students
National and International Associations

5. Activities at the Forum
Plenary Sessions
Dialogues
Networking Events
Debates
Roundtables (of specialized partner groups)
Caucus Meetings
Exhibitions
Book Launches
Cultural Events

6. Sessions of the Forum
Nairobi – 2001 ( 2,000pp) Sustainable Urbanization
Barcelona – 2004 (4,400pp) Cities: Crossroads of Cultures, inclusiveness and integration?
Vancouver – 2006 (10,000+pp) Sustainable Cities: Turning Ideas into Action
Nanjing ( ? ) Harmonious Urbanisation: Challenge of a Balanced Territorial Development.