From dialogue to insight: New publications capture WUF12’s impact and voices
At the resumed second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, UN-Habitat launched two publications that reflect the achievements and insights of the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12): WUF12 Perspectives and the WUF12 Report.
WUF12 Perspectives – a new WUF outcome document – captures the diverse voices of participants around the Forum’s core theme on localization. The publication offers a practical guide for integrating localization into urban policy and practice. Meanwhile, the WUF12 Report provides an overview of the programme, participation and key milestones of the largest and most diverse edition of the Forum since its launch in 2002.
Three dimensions of localization
Under the theme “It all starts at home: Local actions for sustainable cities and communities”, WUF12 focused on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals, shedding light on the local actions and initiatives required to address the current global challenges affecting the daily life of people, including unaffordable housing, rising living costs, climate change, the lack of basic services, ongoing conflicts and more.
To distill the Forum’s exchanges, WUF12 Perspectives used an innovative AI-supported content analysis of over 810 hours of discussions across 587 events. The publication identifies three dimensions of localization – implementation, representation and translation –and unpacks them into nine actionable elements expressed by participants.
Drawing directly from the Forum’s stakeholder voices, the findings of WUF12 will inform UN-Habitat’s technical guidance on SDG localization and UN-wide initiatives.
WUF12: A record-breaking edition
Launched alongside WUF12 Perspectives, the WUF12 Report details the Forum’s scale and impact. With over 25,000 participants from 182 countries, WUF12 became the largest and most internationally represented WUF to date. It also recorded the highest number of partner-led events and participating countries, reinforcing WUF’s inclusivity and reach.
To strengthen its local legacy, WUF12 introduced the WUF Legacy Projects initiative, which featured Cairo Urban Week –a series of community events –and the revitalization of a public space in a Cairo neighbourhood.
Capturing the outcomes of WUF12
The substantive outcomes of WUF12 are reflected in three complementary documents: the Cairo Call to Action, the WUF12 Report and WUF12 Perspectives.
Launched at the closing of WUF12 in November 2024, the Cairo Call to Action captures the Forum’s shared messages and priority actions, calling for stronger local leadership, inclusive housing policies, resilient public spaces and urgent climate action.
Together, these outcome documents contribute to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and inform UN-Habitat’s strategic planning, including the development of the Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and broader global urban development processes.