The purpose of the project is to contribute to the advancement of the coordinated implementation of the New Urban Agenda; to ensure that sustainable urban development is increasingly incorporated in the political and media global agenda; and to ensure that knowledge and awareness are created at all level including the general public. In particular the project, while addressing the overall issue related to rapid urbanization with its challenges and opportunities, seeks to contribute to bridge the existing gaps on:
- Lack of legitimated, fully inclusive global platforms within the UN system for exchange of experience and knowledge on sustainable urbanization
- Poor sectorial integration, coordination and cooperation among different constituencies dealing with sustainable urban development related subjects, which may hamper an effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
- Insufficient advocacy and awareness on sustainable urbanization, which if improved could be the key to include the item in the global political and media agenda
- Need to create a strong platform that will substantively feed in the follow-up and review process of the New Urban Agenda
- Need to raise the profile of UN-Habitat as a focal point for the United Nations system in implementing the New Urban Agenda in an integrated and collaborative way
In addition, the project seeks to contribute to raising the profile of UN-Habitat as a leading agency in the field of urbanization, along with the consolidation of its knowledge base and the incorporation of the conference outcomes in the strategies and work of the agency from the normative to the operation level.The main target population of the project is constituted by decision makers like, national and subnational government representatives, parliamentarians, as well as other actors like intergovernmental organizations, academia, civil society organizations, grassroots, women and youth, professionals, private sector, foundations and general public. Decision makers will benefit through their learning on how to make decisions based on international good policies and practices, coordination mechanisms, partnerships and synergies shared during the World Urban Forum. The same is valid for all other constituency partners, including the general public that has to influence, support and sustain the policy and decision-making process. The project responds to the real needs and priorities of target groups, creating tailored and accessible spaces and activities for each category of partners as well as spaces for interaction. In addition, a results based management approach to the preparation and implementation of the Forum ensures that conclusions are drawn from the event and outcomes shared by all participants as well as brought to higher levels of decision making.In particular the WUF9 will act as an important opportunity to gather substantive inputs to successively feed into the strategy and work of UN-Habitat and the global discussion on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.UN-Habitat will ensure that all priority action areas of the New Urban Agenda are mainstreamed in the main debates in order to put its knowledge base as well as its technical and high-level policy advisors at the disposal of all participants and at the same time collect feedbacks for successive consolidation.The active involvement and participation of all constituencies from the preparation to the implementation in consolidation of outcomes will be key for the success of the project which seeks the central involvement of Member States of the governing body of UN-Habitat and the World Urban Forum host country. The Government of Malaysia and the city of Kuala Lumpur, as well as future hosts, will also play a key role not only to ensure an effective preparation of the Forum but also as a living urban laboratory open to participants, where several strategies and urban tools are being implemented, and a model of sustainable urban development is shown to the world. To this aim several physical and non-physical interventions will be implemented in order to leave a tangible legacy to the host city and its citizens.
