MedCities participated at the WUF UN Habitat12 held in El Cairo, which focused on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals, shedding light on the local actions and initiatives required to curb the current global challenges affecting the daily life of people, including unaffordable housing, rising living costs, climate change, the lack of basic services, and ongoing conflicts. MedCities’ role was to give voice to Mediterranean member cities and to explain the projects the association works on.

MedCities Secretary General, Josep Canals, participated in the WUF12 resilience session presenting the association projects and underlying the importance of the local authorities’ voices in the Mediterranean region. Mr. Canals could intervene by sharing the stage with Mrs. Maria Eugenia Gay, 2nd Vicepresident of Barcelona City Council, and with the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona representative.

Also, MedCities Secretary-General had the opportunity to talk at the Catalan Government stand presenting the Urban Agendas document that MedCities worked together with the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition. The document was an example of what is needed for Mediterranean cities, which are the challenges of the design of an urban agenda, and the interesting ways their implementation is addressed from different spots of the basin.

Finally, Josep Canals attended the session in which MedCities member Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) through Mr. Oriol Illa, Director of the International and Metropolis Digital Area of the Barcelona Metropolitan, participated in talking about what is being done at the metropolitan scale to achieve more sustainable and inclusive cities. The session ‘Building better lives through sustainable and inclusive infrastructure’ highlighted the importance of applying Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), especially in coastal cities to mitigate and prepare for the changing effects of climate change.

Also, the Secretary-General could meet Tirana Mayor, Mr. Erion Veliaj and could exchange about current situation and common interests and needs.

Once again, it was a rich and fruitful experience in which MedCities could meet and exchange with local representatives from all over the world and learn from them.

About the WUF 12

It was a successful conclusion of the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12), with a record-breaking attendance of over 25,000 participants from 182 countries. Speakers, panelists, and attendees from diverse backgrounds explored the multifaceted dimensions of this year’s theme, “It All Starts at Home,” and reflected on its significance across various sectors. The closing ceremony saw the unveiling of the Cairo Call to Action, a document encapsulating key messages and ideas from the discussions. Egypt officially passed the baton to Azerbaijan, host of WUF13, marking a momentous transition.