Thursday 21 Nov
Prime Minister Dr. Moustafa Madbouly held a press conference today Sunday at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital to announce Egypt's hosting of the 12th session of the World Urban Forum. The event was attended by Annaclaudia Rosbach, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), ministers, governors, high-level executive officials, representatives of regional and international organizations, and media.
At the outset of his speech
during the press conference, Dr. Madbouly welcomed Rosbach, the ministers,
governors, and representatives of various development stakeholders from
government agencies, civil society, and the private sector, at the government
headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. He highlighted the city as a
prime example of Egypt's fourth-generation urban development initiatives
implemented over the past decade and emphasized that the New Administrative
Capital aligns with the ideas, activities, and programs promoted by the
UN-Habitat.
The Prime Minister expressed his pleasure at meeting with the Executive Director of the UN-Habitat to discuss the organization of the 12th session of the World Urban Forum, which Cairo will host from November 4 to 8 under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The forum is expected to attract over 20,000 participants, including approximately 14,000 from 179 countries worldwide. Madbouly noted that this event will be a significant global gathering in the Egyptian capital, following the success of Egypt's hosting of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Dr. Madbouly highlighted Cairo's
preparedness to host the World Urban Forum, explaining that the UN-Habitat
typically chooses smaller cities for this event due to logistical challenges
and the need to accommodate large numbers of participants. However, he
emphasized that Cairo's selection was based on the country's confidence in its
ability to successfully organize such a major event, given the extensive urban
development projects undertaken in the Greater Cairo area. He underscored
Cairo's capacity to host the forum, as well as its wealth of practical
experience in implementing the programs and projects advocated by the
UN-Habitat.
He further elaborated on the UN-Habitat's focus on urban and strategic planning, city and rural development, slum improvement, affordable housing, infrastructure, urban transportation, and environmental development. He highlighted that Cairo has successfully implemented all of these initiatives, including the development of new cities like the New Administrative Capital, social and affordable housing projects, slum improvement, and enhanced quality of life for over 300,000 families previously residing in unsafe areas.
