URBAN FRONT AT THE WORLD URBAN FORUM´S PROFESSIONAL ROUNDTABLE
Urban Front members participated and shared critical approaches to address cities at the Professional Roundtable organized by the World Urban Forum in Cairo yesterday.
Summary
The everyday work of urban professionals shapes the fabric of cities, impacting people’s lives on the ground. As such, it is crucial to strengthen the relationships between professionals and other grassroots and civil society actors. Convened by the Habitat Professional Forum (HPF), a voluntary mechanism comprised of over 24 international associations, the Professionals’ Roundtable will bring together built-environment professionals and other stakeholders to address this need. Attendees will review achievements since WUF 11 in implementing the HPF Roadmap to Recovery and work to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 and the New Urban Agenda.
The event informed and engage attendees through interactive discussions on four strategic topics. Each of these focus areas examined through the lens of participation and WUF12’s key dialogue themes:
1. Professionals' contribution to local actions for sustainable cities and communities: From principles to action (implementing the HPF Roadmap).
2. Accelerating SDG achievement through the New Urban Agenda: Reinforcing and integrating local action (coordination across stakeholders and sectors).
3. Partnerships of communities with professionals: Engaged representation and SDG localization (partnership with local communities).
4. The way forward: Sharing new solutions from professionals to support communities, cities and regions (state of the art and capacity building).
Conclusions from these discussions will inform the next work plan of the Habitat Professional Forum, guiding its efforts to mobilize professionals globally and highlighting commitments for further action towards sustainable urbanization.
Objectives
Accelerate commitment to SDG11 and implementation of the New Urban Agenda, by identifying barriers to and opportunities for implementing the NUA for both urban professionals and governments, addressing the Rights to the City, benchmarking progress of SDG11, and meeting the special needs of communities and informal settlements, This includes linkages to the monitoring and reporting of SDG 11.3.2. on participation and democratic structures.
Promote the participatory action needed for recovery, regeneration and reconciliation, and to accelerate SDG achievement through the NUA. This involves supporting sustainable urban planning and governance by partnering with local communities and engaging professionals for SDG localization with cities and regions.
Serve as the official launch event for the HPF International Participatory Charter for Urban and Territorial Development, and to solicit support from urban professional organizations to sign on to the Charter at the end of WUF 12, close of year 2024.
