GCIP showcases green cities and infrastructure at the World Urban Forum

• GCIP and FCDO attended the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Cairo on 4–8 November 2024.
• Members of FCDO and GCIP participated in panels for events hosted by UN-Habitat, the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, among others.
• GCIP are now following up on the new contacts, inquiries and requests made at WUF.

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is arguably the most important global conference on sustainable urbanisation. Established by the United Nations in 2001, the biennial event brings together representatives of municipal and national governments, international organisations, NGOs, academics, private sector entities and the world’s leading experts in urban issues to raise awareness of sustainable urbanisation, improve collective knowledge of urban development and promote collaboration between different stakeholders and regions.

The twelfth session of WUF, held in Cairo on 4–8 November 2024, presented an important opportunity for the Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme (GCIP) to showcase its far-reaching support for sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. To capitalise on the event, urban experts from GCIP joined forces with senior staff at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to run a booth in WUF12’s main exhibition hall. The booth, covering all aspects of the Green Cities and Infrastructure Centre of Expertise, drew hundreds of forum attendees from various sectors.

The GCIP team provided crucial support to the UK government at WUF, setting up or aiding bilateral meetings between FCDO and GIZ, the Asian Development Bank and mayors from Ghana and Mozambique, as well as less formal meetings with government representatives from France, Germany, Mauritania, Nigeria, Philippines and the USA. GCIP also drafted briefing notes and joined FCDO in their busy schedule of speaking events hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, UN Environment Programme, UN-Habitat and the World Bank, among others. The work of GCIP, including its flagship Dar es Salaam Urban Resilience Project and its efforts to support climate finance in Ghana, was frequently cited at these events.

WUF12 also offered GCIP’s own experts plenty of opportunities to attend events. These included sessions on transit-oriented development, financing nature-based solutions for urban flood resilience, maximising the effectiveness of knowledge-sharing platforms and waste management in Africa. Networking events hosted by UN-Habitat, the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance and the Africa Infrastructure Development Association provided valuable opportunities to make new contacts and share ideas.

The forum proved an important stage to showcase the expertise, insights and accomplishments of GCIP and the Centre of Expertise – introducing both initiatives to the global sustainable urbanisation community. It also furnished plenty of new contacts and inquiries, offering the potential of new and exciting collaborations and interventions for GCIP in the coming months.

The UK’s Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme is tackling climate change and extreme poverty by accelerating the delivery of sustainable green cities and climate-resilient infrastructure.