4th Session of the World Urban Forum
November 3 - 7, 2008Nanjing Convention and Exhibition Centre
Nanjing, China
Web site: http://www.unhabitat.org/wuf
The World Urban Forum was established by the United Nations to
examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today:
rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities,
economies, and policies. It is projected that in the next 50
years, two-thirds of humanity will be living in towns and cities. A
major challenge is to minimize burgeoning poverty in cities;
improve the urban poor's access to basic facilities such as
shelter, clean water, and sanitation; and achieve
environment-friendly, sustainable urban growth and
development.
The World Urban Forum is a biennial gathering that is attended by a
wide range of partners, from nongovernmental organizations,
community-based organizations, urban professionals, and academics
to governments, local authorities, and national and international
associations of local governments. It gives all these actors a
common platform to discuss urban issues in formal and informal ways
and come up with action-oriented proposals to create sustainable
cities.
The fourth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF4) will be hosted
by the Government of China and will be held in the ancient city of
Nanjing. Situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the
city of Nanjing dates back more than 2,000 years and is known as
the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties of China. Today, home to 6
million people, it is a rapidly growing modern city and is one of
the most dynamic in eastern China.
The number of people attending the World Urban Forum has risen
sharply from 1,200 at the first World Urban Forum in Nairobi in
2002 to 4,400 at the second World Urban Forum in Barcelona in 2004
and 11,400 at the third session of the World Urban Forum in
Vancouver in 2006. The forum is successful because it differs from
UN governing bodies. Since it is not legislative and does not
follow the formal rules of procedure that usually govern official
UN meetings, the working arrangements of the forum are kept
deliberately simple and relatively informal to generate a healthy
and inclusive debate on urban issues. Participation is open to
allow effective dialogue between all actors working on urban
issues.