World Urban Forum

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization.

WUF was established in 2001 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, climate change and policies. The first WUF was held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2002 and has been held around the world ever since.

Representatives of national, regional and local governments, academics, business people, community leaders, urban planners and civil society representatives will be among the thousands of people are expected to attend WUF13 which is co-organized by The Government of Republic of Azerbaijan.

Explore WUF12 Programme, key documents

News

A delegate learned about the impact of WUF at the WUF13 booth during the Assembly. © UN-Habitat/Peter Ndolo

30 May 2025

WUF12 makes history: record attendance and a call to action for cities

WUF: Theme, numbers & facts

Theme: Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities
Place: Baku, Azerbaijan
Date: 17 to 22 May 2026

Theme: It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities
Attendance: 25,000 Participants (in-person & online) from 182 countries.
Place: Cairo, Egypt
Date: 4 to 8 November 2024

25,000 Participants

Theme: Transforming Our Cities for a Better Urban Future
Attendance: 17,000+ attendees from 158 countries.
Place: Katowice, Poland
Date: 26 to 30 June 2022

17,000+ attendees

Who can participate? Learn more ...

News

Road to WUF

The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), convened by UN-Habitat, will bring together a wide range of urban stakeholders to explore solutions to the growing global housing crisis and to position housing as a foundation for safe and resilient cities and communities.

30 May 2025