The event, co-organized by the Egyptian government and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), runs until 8 November under the theme “It all starts at home: Local actions for sustainable cities and communities.”

The flag-raising ceremony was attended by Minister of Local Development Manal Awad and Anacláudia Rossbach, the UN-Habitat Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, and several officials from the Egyptian government and the United Nations Habitat Programme.

The UN established the World Urban Forum in 2001. Kenya hosted the inaugural forum in 2002.

The forum, which convenes biennially in various cities worldwide, is now recognized as the UN's second most significant event after the climate summit.

A rainbow program
 

WUF12, held on the grounds of the Egypt International Exhibitions Centre in New Cairo, runs daily from Monday through Friday, with sessions beginning at 8:00am and concluding at 6:30pm.

The forum is expected to draw over 20,000 attendees from more than 170 countries, including representatives from financing institutions, civil society, academia, the business community, and urban planning sectors.

Attendees will engage in over 500 sessions and workshops, exchanging insights and ideas on various urban development issues.

An Urban Expo will also feature during the event, showcasing the latest innovations and solutions to urban challenges.

The forum will be live-streamed in six UN languages—Arabic, English, Chinese, Russian, French, and Spanish—along with Arabic and international sign languages.

WUF12 aims to promote local solutions to the unprecedented urban challenges facing the world today, including rapid urbanization, rising urban poverty, housing shortages, and climate change impacts.

It will underscore the urban development priorities of developing nations in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing a platform to share innovative strategies and community-led successes.