world urban forum 4 report

8/12/2019 World Urban Forum 4 Report

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WORLD URBAN FORUM 4The Worlds Premier Conference on Cities

Nanjing, China 3-6 November 2008


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THE WORLDS CONFERENCE ON TOWNS AND CITIES2

Venue: Nanjing International Conference CentreTheme: Harmonious Urbanization: The challenge of balanced

territorial development

Night time view of the Nanjing International Conference Centre. Photos City of Nanjing


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Vice-Premier of the Peoples Republicof China, Zhang Dejiang - Citiesare facing severe challenges.Governments and municipalities haveto strengthen their cooperation.

Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development,Jiang Weixin - Harmonious urbanization depictsthe wealth of ideas, the old and the new, takingin integrated social, economic and environmentaldevelopment. Mr. Weixin was the Chair of theForum.

Governor of Jiangsu Province, Lou ZhiJun - A cityis the hub of advanced productivity and advancedculture.

Jiang Hongkun, Mayor ofNanjing, The World UrbanForum in Nanjing is bothan important international

pageant as well as a holidayfor the people of Nanjing.

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China hosts the World Urban Forum 4


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he Fourth Session of the World UrbanForum held in Nanjing, China from 3-6November 2008 drew nearly 8,000

participants from 146 countries. The Forum, heldevery two years, is now established as the worldspremier conference on cities.

The World Urban Forum was a wonderfulgathering of leaders, mayors, architects, urbanplanners, urban academics, peoples organisationsand other partners, including womens and youthgroups, business, and everyone with a say incity life. It shows not only the importance of theForum, but also its value.

The Forum encompassed a rich variety of events dialogues among key movers, shakers andthinkers, networking events for experts andvarious seminars, all aimed at helping us ndinnovative new ways forward in tackling thegrowing challenges of rapid urbanization. TheForum exhibition alone attracted more than 20,000visitors in the space of just four days.

The theme of the Forum, HarmoniousUrbanization: the challenge of balanced territorialdevelopment, was selected to highlight challengesfacing humanity as our planet rapidly andirreversibly becomes urbanized. Our agship report,

the State of the Worlds Cities 2008/2009, releasedat the Forum, shows clearly that half of humanitynow lives in cities. It also shows that within twodecades nearly 60 percent of the global populationwill be living in towns and cities.

Urban growth is most rapid in the developingworld where cities gain an average of 5 million

residents every month. As cities grow in size andpopulation, harmony among the spatial, socialand environmental aspects becomes of paramountimportance. The two cornerstones of this harmonyare equity and sustainability both within andbetween nations and cities.

Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the PeoplesRepublic of China to ensure that everythingin Nanjing worked smoothly, even though ourmeeting was held in the aftermath of the Sichuanearthquake one of the most devastating in livingmemory, anywhere in the world. Not in the least,it also followed closely on the heels of the 2008Olympic Games in China.

Key messages of the Forum were that governmentsmust ensure the urban poor have adequateservices, especially in these times of nancial crisis.It called for enabling policies, inclusive governance,and climate change measures as key pillars ofharmonious urbanization.

A special message from the Executive Director

Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT deliveringinaugural speech. Photo Urban Construction Archive,Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China

Inga Bjrk-Klevby, Deputy Executive Director of UN-HABITAT .Photo City of Nanjing


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A glittering global conference

At the epoch-making Fourth Session of UN-HABITATs World UrbanForum, the strongest message coming out was that the swelling citiesof the world are posing fresh challenges every day

he ancient historical city of Nanjing callled

the participants of the fourth session ofthe World Urban Forum to forge a positivevision of urbanization. Particular attention is tobe paid to respect nature by ensuring a balancedand a holistic approach to planning, protectingthe evironment, regional balance, social justice,empowering the poor, preserving historical andcultural heritage and cooperation across all

jurisdictions in pursuit of harmonious cities.The WUF 4 took place at the spectacular NewNanjing International Conference Centre.

The staggering attendance gures are testimonythat the Forum, held every two years, is now rmlyestablished as the worlds premier conference oncities.

The buzzwords on everyones lips in Nanjing wereharmonious urbanization, and barely a speakermissed a chance to give their views of what aharmonious city is all about.

Setting the tone in the rst opening statement,Mr. Jiang Hongkun, the Mayor of Nanjing, said:Building harmonious cities is our vision. Thissession of the Forum convened to discuss thetheme, harmonious urbanization, will promote newways of building cities at home and abroad.

The city was adorned with yers and posterswelcoming Forum visitors and laser light shows litup the night skies from high buildings in the newlymodernized city.

Against the background of the global nancialcrisis, world leaders at the meeting warned thatdangerous new threats had emerged on theinternational development agenda as developingcountries grapple with the effects of the growingtide of people swarming into cities in search ofbetter livelihoods.

Photos City of Nanjing


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A t the opening session world leaders spoke.The Mayor of Nanjing, Hon. Jiang Hongkunwelcomed the delagates to the historical

city. The Governer of Jiangus provice praised theForum for being an interactive exchange platformfor Worlds cities. The Minister of Housing andUrban-Rural Development of China emphasizedthat the theme of harmonious urbanizationreected the importance of the internationalcommunity attaches to the harmoniousdevelopment of cities. Mr. Sha Zukang, whodelivered the message of the Secretary-Generalof the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, saidthat Nanjing had survived many tests and wasan appropriate place to consider the challengesof sustainable urbanization. The Vice Premier ofPeoples Republic of China, H.E Dejang Zhanghighlighted the importance of the Forum forproviding opportunities to discuss problems facingurban development.

The Vice President of the Government ofPhilippines, H.E. Noli de Castro, said Theworld is facing a nancial crisis due to whichmany economies are slowing down. As a result,cities are also facing severe challenges, hesaid in welcoming remarks. Governments andmunicipalities have to strengthen their cooperationin order to translate challenges into opportunities.

The Vice President noted that China had madegreat strides in reforms over the past threedecades, and the rate of urbanization had reached44.9% at the end of 2007.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, H.HSheikh Khalif Bin Salman Al Khalifa, underscoredthe importance of the forum in the quest forsustainable urbanization. He said the forum wasinstrumental in drawing attention to the needfor policies and interventions for inclusive andsustainable development.

Another world leader, Kenyas Prime Minister Raila

Odinga said the urbanization challenge now facingcountries in the developing world had alreadysnowballed into a crisis of global dimensions,He provided the example of the Nairobi capitalcity of Kenya whose population has increasedfrom 250,000 in 1960 to about 3 million 2009.He said that this increase has been accompaniedby pressure on natural resources as well as theproliferation of slums, emphasizing that suchpressure was shared by many cities world-wide.

Noli De Castro, Vice President of the Philippines

Photo City of Nanjing

H.H Sheikh Khalif Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister ofthe Kingdom of Bahrain, Photo City of Nanjing

World leaders speak out during the Forum

Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya. Photo City of Nanjing


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Mr. Kandeh Yumkella, The Director-General of the UnitedNations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), calledattention to the contribution of industrial development topromote technology transfer, building domestic industrialcapacity, and contributing to urban economic growth acrossdifferent geographical regions.

Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nationsand Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa(ECA), said that strong urban agglomerations contribute to wealthbecause they are home to vital sectors for economic growth such asindustry, commerce and nance.

Ms.Kyun Wha-Kang, Deputy HighCommisioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),emphasised the importance of promoting

adequate housing as a right of women.

UN System wide participation at senior level

Mr. Antonio Maria Costa, Director-General, United Nations Ofce in Vienna(UNOV) and the Executive Director United Nations Ofce on Drugs and

Crime (UNODC) warned that in a new urban age, with most of the peopleliving in cities, urban crime was likely to increase. He said that when it comes

to health, most drug users live in cities which themselves are increasinglya source of drug supplies. He emphasized that vulnerability to crime and

disease was always highest in poor neighbourhoods where there was lesssecurity, justice and public services, creating an environment in which crime

thrives and investors turn away.

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Special messages from the plenary sessions

M r. Morten Wasstl, Political Advisor tothe Norwegian Minister of InternationalDevelopment and Environment, Norway;Co-Chair of the Fourth Session of the World UrbanForum and Co-Chair of the Advisory Group citedthe participation of a wide range of stakeholdersin the forum and underscored the importance andvalue of city life.

He further recounted

the contribution that theForum had made to theimplementation of the UN-HABITATs Medium-termStrategic and InstitutionalPlan (MTSIP). He said that theForum had provided freshand new ideas on issues suchas tackling climatic change.

Ms. Raquel Rolnik, Secretary-Generals SpecialRapportuer on the Right to Adequate Housingunderscored the point that harmonious urban

development could not be achieved in thecontext of inequalities and exclusion. She askedhow harmony could possibly be achieved in citiesand whether the world was capable of beingharmonious. She emphasized that the measuringstick was inclusiveness and the world neededharmony in housing and planning policies for all.

Mr. Djoko Kirmato, Minister of Public works,Republic of Indonesia and Hon. Ian Wright, theBritish Parliamentary Secretary for Housing bothgave accounts of how they were making their citiescleaner, greener, more harmous and more inclusive,and both called for better planning.

The plenaries highlighted key messages of the Forum that set the tonefor the dialogues each day

Rolnik addresses the plenary. Photo City of Nanjing

Morten Wasstl, Political Advisor to the NorwegianMinister of International Development andEnvironment, Norway.

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Dialogues, roundtables, training and networking The Forum discussed various aspects of Harmonious Urbanizationincluding terrritorial balance in urban development; promoting socialequity and inclusiveness; making cities productive and equitable;harmonizing the built and natural environments and a city for allgenerations

here were six dialogues, eight roundtablediscussions and more than 140 networkingevents and habitat agenda related

seminars. Participants in discussions representedGovernments, and a range of Habitat Agendapartners inculding parliamentarians, localauthorities, NGOs, private sector, professionals,international organizations, research institutionsand the media.

An evaluation rated the networking events sopopular in Nanjing that more were recommendedfor the next session of the World Urban Forum inRio de Janeiro, Brazil, 22-26 March 2010.

The networking events afforded partipants theopportunity to meet informally and exchange ideas.



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Award ceremony

Professor Anthony Gar-On Yeh, of the Universityof Hong Kong receiving the 2008 UN-HABITATLecture Award from Mr. Oyenyinka Oyebanji,Director of UN-HABITATs Research andMonitoring Division. The award recognizesoutstanding and sustainable contribution toresearch, thinking and practice in the humansettlements eld.

The award ceremony was part of the opening session. It started withthe presentation of a lm on Nanjing, the 2008 winner of the Specialcitation of the Habitat Scroll of Honour

A short lm on the Sheikh KhalifaBin Salman Al Khalifa UN-HABITATAward was screened. The PrimeMinister of Bahrain, His HighnessShaikh Khalifa Bin Salman AlKhalifa presenting the USD 100,000cash award named after him tomembers of The Green Brigade, ofOuagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Mrs. Tibaijuka presentingthe Scroll of Honour Awardto Mr. Jiang Hongkun,Mayor of Nanjing.


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For the poor represented by civil societygroups, for young people represented byyouth groups, or womens organizations, theharmonious cities theme carried a message ofhope easy to understand in a rapidly urbanizingworld.

In her address, Mrs. Tibaijuka, said: The nancialcrisis, the threat of global recession and the hugeswings in commodity prices and stock marketsfurther threaten the foundations of globalizationthat have underpinned global growth for the

past decade. We are witnessing a resurgence ofprotectionism combined with credit contractionthat can further exacerbate and worsen a globalrecession.

She said the success of the Forum was also dueto the intense interest shown by UN-HABITATsparticipating partners from nearly every walk oflife.

And it was also thanks to the tremendous effortsof the Peoples Republic of China to ensure thateverything in Nanjing worked smoothly, eventhough the meeting was held in the aftermath ofthe Sichuan earthquake one of the deadliest inliving memory anywhere in the world. Not least,it also followed closely on the heels of the 2008Olympic Games in China.

In expressing our heartfelt appreciation, it isimportant especially to cite here the Vice Premierof the Peoples Republic of China, H.H. DejiangZhang; Chinas Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Hon. Jiang Weixin; theGovernor of Jiangsu Province Lou ZhiJun, the

Mayor of Nanjing Jiang Hongkun; and for theirwarm welcome to us and our delegations. Andnot least Mr. Qi Ji, Deputy Minister of Housing andUrban-Rural Development, and the Forum, Chair,Deputy Mayor Lu Bing of the City of Nanjing, saidMrs. Tibaijuka.

This word of thanks goes out also to theirassistants, their staff and the ever attentivemultilingual young volunteers who were at everyvenue to give a helping hand and always with asmile.

If we think back on the Forum, it is the smilesand kindness shown us all that remain uppermostin our minds, she said. She also thanked the

Governments of Norway for providing nancialsupport towards civil society participation at theForum and the Kingdom of Bahrain for sponsoringthe Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Award, which will

become a standing feature of the biennial event.Many delegates cited the importance of the linkbetween overcoming urban poverty and winningthe battle against the scourges of climate change.

Indeed, they came up with many new ways ofmaking our cities more harmonious. By choosing atheme based on the ancient Chinese philosophicalconcept of harmony, this Forum got everybodythinking.

A FORUM HIGHLIGHT

On the eve of the Forum, more than 500youth activists from over 50 countries

world-wide held a two-day World Urban Youth Forum. Hosted by the NanjingMunicipal Committee of the ChineseCommunist Party Youth League, it was thirdbiennial session of its kind. Tey unveiled agroundbreaking fund to nance youth-led

development projects around the world. TeOpportunities Fund for Urban Youth-LedDevelopment, is initially being nancedthrough a USD 2,000,000 grant over twoyears from the Government of Norway.

A message easy to understand



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he Forum offered a truly rich tapestry withseminars of interest to experts and non-experts alike, an exhibition showing off

the best of modern China, Europe, the Americas,Africa, Asia, and small island countries. The exhibitsranged from state of the art systems that make amodern city work, to affordable, low-tech solutionsfor people desperately in need of shelter andservices. It attracted 20,000 participants.

The descriptions urban, harmony, innovationunderlined what was on show at every booth. Andwithout exception, all were there to promote not

only their products and systems, but the fact thatit was really all about helping improve the lives ofeveryone in the worlds growing cities.

Discussions covered many subjects. These includedterritorial balance and promoting social equity inurban development, making cities more productive,harmonizing the built and natural environments,preserving the cultural heritage of cities, andaddressing the needs of all generations.

And like the exhibitors, the participants at theForum meetings did not lose sight of the ordinarypeople, and those living in poverty, whom theirdeliberations were intended to help, inspire anduplift.

This was clearly stated by Mr. Morten Wasstl inthe closing plenary. He said the Forum had provedonce more its value for renewing impetus toachieving the aims of the Habitat Agenda, and theMillennium Development Goals.

An exhibition for all



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Some fast facts

About 8,000 participants from some 146countries.

20,000 participants attended the exhibition.

Over 50 countries from 5 continents sentgovernment representatives that formed12.7% of participants.

1,000 cities and 120 local governmentassociations representing 12.0% ofparticipants gathered in Nanjing.

200 youth groups, developmentorganizations, womens groups and researchand advocacy organizations came to Nanjing.

50 companies, 75 professional bodies and 15universities joined in.

State of the Worlds Cities Report,2008/2009 was launched. It informs clearlythat half of humanity lives in cities andwithin two decades nearly 60% of theworlds people will be urban dwellers.

Urban growth is most rapid in developingworld where cities gain an average of 5million residents every month.

State of African Cities Report launched .

Urban World magazine, replacing theHabitat Debate launched.

850 participants were trained in 23 differenttraining sessions in eleven topics on urbansustainability

72 Networking Events and 69 HabitatSeminars on Urban Innovations forgedpartnerships among organizations fromdifferent parts of the world.

New UN-HABITAT Brand Tool Kit launched.

The World Urban Youth Forum wassuccessfully held prior to the main eventfrom 1-2 November, with over 500 youngpeople from around the world.

World Youth Fund exstablished with a grantof USD 2 million frm Norway to help launchnew opportunities for Urban Youth-LedDevelopment.

Cooperation agreements signed:- China Development Bank and UN-HABITAT.- Yangpu District, Shanghai and Mayors from

Lake Victoria in East Africa region.

- Ministry of Nairobi MetropolitanDevelopment and UN-HABITAT

Next WUF will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil22 - 26 March 2010.


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From the Nanjing Forum, UN-HABITAT willexamine the interesting ideas carefully andintegrate many of the leading edge practices

into its new thinking and action. The host city alsoexpressed appreciation for the knowledge broughtthrough the Forum. Mr. Hongkun, the Mayorof Nanjing, said: Nanjing will use the preciousopportunity of the Forum to borrow new ideas andexperiences from Chinese and international citiesfor its betterment in the most harmonious waypossible.

The meetings encompassed the environmental andeconomic cornerstones of sustainable developmentas well as the critical, but often neglected humanelement. The idea reiterated by many delegatesfrom around the world is to keep people at thecentre of all urban policy making.

Harmonious urbanization

The meetings in Nanjing showed clearly that we have the technologyand know-how to attain the Millennium Development Goals



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he Forum also examined the less obvious

dimensions of sustainable developmentsuch as culture, contemporary and historicalheritage, respect for diversity and how to enhancea sense of belonging. Thus they looked at whatconstitutes the soul of the city, the elements thatgive it meaning, and which determine how peopletake pride in their city and in shaping its future.

The Forum conveyed the message that animportant aspect of harmonious urbanizationis balanced territorial development. And itemphasized the role of civil society as a key partnerin achieving harmonious cities and sustainable

urban management.

The particular vulnerability of indigenouspeoples to the effects of chaotic and unplannedurbanization was highlighted. The Forum furtherstressed the continuing need to incorporate genderconcerns into all housing and urban developmentpolicies and programmes. They also emphasisedthat women have valuable local knowledge thatis important for climate change mitigation andresponse.

SOME KEY MESSAGES

Governments have a responsibilityin these hard times of nancial crisisto ensure that the urban poor haveadequate shelter, health, water andenergy services.Enabling policies, effective partnershipsand inclusive governance are necessaryto achieve harmonious urbanization.Care must be taken to ensure that rapidurban growth does not exclude thepoorest.Urban planning, good governanceand gender concerns do not simplycontribute to better cities, but that theyform the essential pillars of a better

urban future.Climate change adaptation andmitigation must also become a pillar ofurban policy.

Keshav Varma, Urban Development Director, World BankEast-Asia and Pacic Region. Photo City of Nanjing

Te soul of the city



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D evelopment agencies at the Forumrecognized that the sheer scale of rapidurbanization demands a higher degree ofcoordinated action. The seriousness of rising oiland food prices, the global credit crisis, and climatechange elevated this need and forced discussionamong agencies about new ways of collaborating.

Consultations among UN agencies and multilateral,organizations were enriched throughout the fourdays. Those present included: UN-HABITAT, theWorld Bank, International Labour Orgnanization,the United Nations Environment Progamme,the United Nations Industrial DevelopmentOrganization, the United Nations Ofce on Drugsand Crime, the United Nations Educational,Scientic and Cultural Organization, and others

including regional nancial institutions.

Our partners

UN-HABITATs partners used the World Urban Forum to broadennetworks, and to get a clearer idea of where they want to go inpromoting sustainable urbanization

Participants getting to know each other. Photo City of Nanjing


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N ational government delegations engagedin spirited exchanges throughout theWorld Urban Forum. The opening plenary,ministerial round table, dialogues, and networkingevents enabled governments to share theirrespective urban policies and interventions. Thepeer exchange among governments stimulatedeach to articulate, with greater clarity, how theyplanned to achieve sustainable urbanization.Participating governments included over 50member States from ve continents representing awide range of portfolios such as housing, nance,environment and land.

Furthermore, representatives of 1,000 citiesand 120 local government associations andparliamentarians representing half the worldspopulation gathered in Nanjing for the Forum. Formayors, councillors and city administrators, Nanjingprovided them the opportunity to set and adjust

their priorities.

Mr. Peter Goetz, a member of the GermanBundestag, said that over 100 Members ofParliament from many countries had accepted theinvitation to attend the Forum.

He said that Global Parliamentarians onHabitat was an international organization ofparliamentarians concerned with sustainabledevelopment and urban settlements, foundedover thirty years ago in Vancouver at the inauguralHabitat Conference.

Mr. Goetz, who assumed the organizations

presidency after Senator Eloy Cantu Segovia ofMexico, cited the collapse of nancial markets,terrorism threats, climate change, and the energycrisis as major problems facing the world.

All three crises are interrelated andinterdependent, and all ofce bearers at all spheresof Government have a responsibility for the futureof our children, he said. Cities already accountfor 75% of energy consumption and about 80%of carbon emissions. The most important resourcein climate change is political determination,but cities on their own cannot win the struggleagainst climate change it requires the support ofgovernments and parliaments.

Governments and municipalities agreed that theyhad to strengthen their cooperation and translatechallenges into opportunities. Thus, high on theiragenda were the guidelines for decentralizationadopted by the UN-HABITAT Governing Councilin 2007. Also of high priority were strategies toaddress capacity gaps at both the elected andadministrative levels of local government to dealwith rapid urbanization

Peter Goetz, President of GlobalParliamentarians on Habitat .Photo City of Nanjing

Broad government, local authority,parliamentary participation


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For non-governmental organizations(NGOs), Nanjing provided an open,inclusive opportunity to dene their

agenda more sharply and to communicate withprivate companies, governments, urban poororganizations, professional associations, and localauthorities. Their numbers included over 200 youthgroups, development organizations, membershipassociations, womens groups and research andadvocacy organizations.

Organizations of the urban poor from Africa,Asia and Pacic, Latin America, Canada, and theUnited States took advantage of the Forum toengage directly with private sector banks, nancialinstitutions, and public utilities, as well as local and

central governments.

In like manner, the private sector enhanced itsunderstanding of its role in helping cities managerapid urbanization. By aligning business activitieswith social and environmental concerns in amutually benecial manner, the private sector sawa signicant role to play to improve the overallquality of life and access to basic services forall citizens, in close coordination with local andnational governments.

The private sector, represented by more than 50companies, put this priority at the top of its listwhen it collectively dened ve objectives in the

drive for better cities: Affordable housing solutions;sustainable water, sanitation, waste managementand infrastructure; clean urban energy, climatechange mitigation and adaptation; innovative ICTsolutions; and disaster mitigation and post-disasterreconstruction.

Members of 75 professional associations also

engaged with the World Urban Forum. This wasespecially so for planners who reiterated thecall for all spheres of governments to addresscapacity gaps in planning. Nanjing also affordedassociations of quantity surveyors, water operators,architects and housing developers and municipalofcers the chance to debate on many fronts.

Representatives from some 15 universities met atthe World Urban Forum to try and bridge the gapbetween research, education, policy developmentand practice in the area of sustainable urbandevelopment.

UN-HABITAT coordinated 23 training events thatdrew a total of 850 participants at an averageof 37 participants per event. Approximately halfof the events were delivered by United Nationsagencies, while the other half were delivered byinternational training institutions. The participantsevaluation of the events was very positive with anoverall average of 3.8 out of a maximum score of5.0.

UN-HABITAT also launched its agship publication,

the State of the Worlds Cities Report 2008/2009.The chapters of the Report provided the conceptualbackdrop for the dialogue sessions at the Forum.

The agency also used the Forum to launchtwo other aghship publications the State ofAfrican Cities co-authored with the UN EconomicCommission for Africa, and Urban World, the newquarterly magazine replacing Habitat Debate.

Joining hands with non-governmentalorganizations

Photo C

ityofNanjing


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Affordable Housing Finance

The Forum highlighted the fact that provision of basic services andaffordable housing is a strategic means of achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals

Never before had housing and urbandevelopment become more central to

the social, economic and environmentalpillars of sustainable urban development; andnever before had the Habitat Agenda been morerelevant, urgent and compelling.

Mr. Greg Peng, Head of Global Commercial RealEstate in China for Merrill Lynch told the plenarythat despite what he called the unprecedentedglobal nancial crisis, a special effort had to bemade on behalf of the urban poor.

The capital markets can still play an importantrole in facilitating the provision of low-cost

housing. The key is that there has to be responsiblelenders, responsible counterparts, responsibleinvestors and responsible end-users. There is a case

for governments in the less developed economiesto put nancial instruments to good use in

providing low-cost housing for people who needit.

Private companies employing large numbers ofpeople need to play a more active role in improvingliving standards in the communities in whichthey operate. The role of the private sector inurban development and housing provision wasemphasized. It is necessary to put in place policiesthat enhance the private sectors participationin provision of housing for the economicallydisadvantaged. Bridging the gap between civilsociety organisations and private sector is alsonecessary towards this end.



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Cities and Climate Change

Delegates in Nanjing stressed that no successful city in the modernworld can afford to ignore the effects of climate change

Harmonious urban growth has to go hand-in-hand with disaster mitigation andvulnerability reduction. And here, early

warning and better surveillance systems are ofparamount importance. It is vital to climate changemitigation that cities start by cutting their wasteoutput and emissions, and that they consume lessenergy.

In many countries of the developing world,declining agricultural productivity due to changingweather patterns, population pressures and, insome cases, conict as well, are pushing greaternumbers of rural residents towards cities.

The nexus between rapid and chaotic urbanizationand climate change has multiple impacts on highlyvulnerable groups particularly women, youthand the very poor. The need for coordinated and

joint action in this regard at the normative andimplementation levels was emphasized.

Numerous practices were presented and discussedat the World Urban Forum highlighting the actionstaken and results achieved to date by cities toreduce their ecological footprint and their carbonemissions.

The emerging groundswell of local initiativesunderlines the need for international and nationaldecision-making processes to integrate thecities and climate change agenda in post-Kyotomechanisms and regime.

And by far the best approach to tackle climatechange related challenges in cities is throughrational regional and urban planning using apeople-centred approach. To this end the GlobalParliamentarians Round-Table emphasized the roleof parliamentarians in educating the public andenacting legislation to address the global challengeof climate change.

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Gender and urban planning

he Forum underscored the importance ofwomens empowerment and its contributionto the Millennium Development Goals.

In tackling extreme poverty, homelessness,conict, wars and the burden of HIV /AIDS, vestrategies were stressed: participatory, inclusive andgender-responsive urban governance; economicempowerment; safety, security and gendermainstreaming; and accountability.

Delegates demanded better promotion of genderequality, rights and the empowerment of women.The Forum also highlighted the importance ofaddressing gender issues in sanitation. Likewise,in nancing human settlements development, itacknowledged the important role of women in

mobilizing community savings and credit.

Delegates stressed that urban planning had totake into account the needs of all age groups. Andthis meant providing for access for all generationsto opportunities, services, shelter, welfare, andinfrastructure.

Supporting gender mainstreaming in urbanplanning and management, helps cities become

more socially and culturally inclusive. Women havevaluable local knowledge important for disastermitigation and response, especially in the contextof climate change adaptation. Involving womenand their community-based organizations is criticalto maintaining community solidarity, preservinga sense of place and belonging, and maintaininginter-generational relations.


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Te young volunteers were everywhere in thecity, working very hard and ever with a smile



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Outstanding Artists

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aking a break at the Forum

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Closing was in style

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PARTICIPANTS EVALUATED THE FORUM POSITIVELY

A Participant survey questionnaire was used to evaluate the Forum

1,326 participants responded to the questionnaire, exceeding the statistical minimum samplesize of 360 required for meaningful generalizations82% of respondents were satised with organization and logistics before the Forum

80% of respondents were satised with organization and logistics during the Forum

88% of respondents were satised with the programme content

81% of respondents were satised with quality of keynote speakers and presentations

75% of respondents were satised with relevance and substance of topics and themes

86% of respondents reported that they had opportunities to learn from interaction with others.

All session types had over 80% usefulness rating

Majority of respondents (86%) found the exhibition to be useful

Perceived utility of the Forum was also high, with more than 90% stating that they are likely toapply ideas from the Forum in their work 89% of respondents indicated they are likely to participate in WUF 5

Lessons learned and recommendations will be used to improve planning and organization of

the WUF 5


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WORLD URBAN FORUM 5RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

22 - 26 MARCH 2010

Government of Brazil inviting participants to the fth session of theWorld Urban Forum to be held in the city of Rio de Janeiro.Photo UN-HABITAT/C. Acioly


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UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMMEWorld Urban Forum UnitP.O. BOX 30030,GPO 00100, NAIROBI, KENYA;Telephone: +254 20 762 3334/762 3903;Fax: +254 20 762 4175;[email protected];www.unhabitat.org/wuf

Minister Jiang and Mrs. Tibaijuka opening the International Exhibition at the fourth session of the World Urban Forum

in Nanjing, China. Photo Urban Construction Archive, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China

world urban forum 4 report

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