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Spotlight on sustainable urbanisation at World Urban Forum

Urbanisation is now recognised as one of the defining trends of the times. (Image source: Itennis88/Pixabay)

The 10th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF 10) will be held in Abu Dhabi from 8-13 February 2020 at Abu Dhabis National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), bringing together policymakers, mayors, academics, business people, community leaders, artists and urban planners

It will be the first time that the World Urban Forum, which is convened by the UN agency focused on sustainable urbanisation, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), will take place in the Arab region.

UN-Habitat executive director Maimunah Mohd Sharif said, “The world has really changed since the first World Urban Forum back in 2002. Urbanisation is now recognised as one of the defining trends of the times. But ultimately the aim has remained constant – to promote transformative change to improve living conditions for everyone.”

The theme of the World Urban Forum this year is ‘Cities of Opportunities: Connecting Culture and Innovation’. The culture which brings together knowledge, art, belief, capabilities, habits, morals and behaviours, is widely recognised as playing a key role in the growth and development of cities.

Alongside high-level dialogues and roundtables, there are assemblies for young people, women, local and regional governments, grassroots communities and business, as well as 400 events hosted by partners. WUF 10 features an Urban Expo with more than 170 exhibitors from 66 countries, a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Zone, an Urban Library and the UN-Habitat Better Cities Film Festival.

A Special Session on Voluntary Local Reviews, hosted by UN-Habitat and the City of New York will discuss how cities can report their progress towards the SDGs, share best practices and encourage new cities to join the movement.

WUF10 will be the first major UN event of the Decade of Action which starts this month and calls for accelerating sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.

The Bell team in Richards Bay consists of more than 800 machinists, welders, and assemblers. (Image source: Bell)

GFE Power Product’s extensive range covers generators from 10 kVA up to 3,000 kVA. (Image source: GFE Power Products)

The funding is the largest-ever equity raise in the minigrid industry according to Husk. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

The initiative will help African contractors participate in annual infrastructure investments. (Image source: Afreximbank)

ITS has evolved into a sophisticated systems approach, providing numerous opportunities to revolutionise road networks. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Invest International’s Lara Muller; Ivory Coast Minister of Finance and Economy, Adam Coulibaly; and Ambassador Designate to Ivory Coast, Jeroen Kelderhuis. (Image source: Invest International)

The Yellow Metal Machine Rental team with some Wacker Neuson equipment. (Image source: Wacker Neuson)

Although displaying resilience, the report warns that African banks remain exposed to physical climate risks due to both sovereign and industry lending. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

WAA and VCMI will seek to establish regulatory frameworks to enable access to high integrity and fair voluntary carbon markets for WAA member countries. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

The parties will also promote the mutual exchange of information and expertise in the field of export credit policies and practices. (Image source: TBD Group)

Inside Condra’s Johannesburg factory: an overhead crane positions an electric motor during assembly of hoist and crab. (Image source: Condra)

IVECO is renewing its entire product range, all at once. (Image source: IVECO)

The MoU was signed alongside the Africa Health Business Symposium. (Image source: Africa CDC)

Both the IMF and EIU expect SSA to rank as the world’s second fastest growing economy in 2024. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

There has been a focus on the sugar industry. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Evolving concept of energy security must address energy demand, system flexibility, technology access and infrastructure development, says IRENA. (Image source: IRENA)

World Bank & African Development Bank partner to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030, leveraging public-private investments. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

At WFES, Gotion High-tech will showcase its latest products and leading green energy solutions at its booth. (Image source: Gotion High-tech)

The new Perkins 5012 is a full-authority electronic engine optimised and purpose-built for power generation applications. (Image source: Perkins)

SSAB will begin deliveries of the new products in 2026.

The key issues restricting sub-Saharan Africa’s manufacturing sector will be unpacked at Manufacturing Indaba later this year. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Hyphen is developing sub-Saharan Africa’s largest, most advanced and only fully-vertical integrated green hydrogen project. (Image source: Hyphen)

According to Liebherr, the Used Equipment Marketplace is extremely user-friendly. (Image source: Liebherr)

Electricity storage will be pivotal in unlocking renewable projects and meeting energy demand. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Africa Data Centres and DPA SA have broken ground on their solar farm in the Free State. (Image source: Africa Data Centres)

A Cat PM310 Cold Planer in action. (Image source: Caterpillar)

A larger stockholding of WEG products facilitates ready access for customers. (Image source: WEG Africa)

African nations have turned to the concept of power pools to address the continent's energy deficit and foster regional cooperation. (Image source: Synergy Consulting)

Dietmar Siersdorfer is expanding his role as Middle East managing director at Siemens Energy to include Africa. (Image source: Siemens Energy)

The Msikaba Bridge has anchor blocks 17 m wide which contain around 21,000 tons of concrete. (Image source: Sanral)