DMT is attending the Forum alongside the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi to celebrate the emirate’s success in achieving its pledges towards the Abu Dhabi Declared Actions announced at the 10th session of the World Urban Forum held in 2020.
A delegation from the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is participating in the 11th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF11) taking place in Katowice, Poland from June 26 to 30.
WUF, a non-legislative technical forum convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and held every two years in a different city, examines the most pressing issues facing the world today such as rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. This year, the theme of WUF is 'Transforming our Cities for a Better Urban Future', which will provide insights on how cities can be better prepared to address future crises while ensuring transformation towards a better urban future.
DMT and DCT Abu Dhabi are participating in this edition together to share their knowledge throughout the week and demonstrate how governments can successfully fulfil their pledges towards WUF Declarations, and to also celebrate Abu Dhabi's accomplishments since it hosted the previous session of WUF (WUF10), held under the theme of 'Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation'.
The Abu Dhabi Declared Actions announced at WUF 10 included commitments from international organisations, national, local, and regional governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, and others to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in Paris in 2015.
In addition to discussing the top achievements and sharing best practices, DMT will provide insights on the future of cities, challenges and opportunities, and ways cities can be better prepared to address future pandemics.
H.E Falah Al Ahbabi, Chairman of DMT, said: "The 10th World Urban Forum served as a rallying cry for stakeholders to step up their commitment to advancing sustainable urban development in the Decade of Action initiated by the UN. Our goal was to provide a solid platform for designing and proposing promising solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.
“We believe that Abu Dhabi’s participation this year will support the urban global development as we can share our knowledge and best practices with everyone participating.”
Mubarak Al Shamsi, Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau Director, DCT Abu Dhabi, added: “. As the previous host city, we are honoured to be continuing the conversation of change amongst global thought-leaders and learning innovative and future-focussed ideas towards transforming our city 'for a Better Urban Future'. The platform allows us to refine our future urban planning, considering our cultural assets, heritage, population, and the thousands of annual visitors that visit our city, to enhance the experience of visiting a leading global destination.”
Creating a legacy beyond WUF, Abu Dhabi was able to facilitate cross-learning and best practices sharing among the Forum's host countries and cities, ensuring a lasting impact during the recently held WUF Alumni meet in Cairo.