WUF 11 in Katowice is history now. Five extremely intense days of meetings and fruitful discussions on the condition and development of cities are behind us. During this time, we have told representatives of 174 countries from around the world, for whom the future of cities is so important, about the problem of accessibility of urban space for people with special needs. We have also recalled that today - more than 80 years after the outbreak of World War II - cities that suffered from armed conflicts are still being rebuilt around the world. A war is currently underway across our eastern border. We are already supporting war refugees from Ukraine. We will also assist them in the post-war reconstruction of the places they had to flee in recent months,

stressed the Deputy Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak.

The World Urban Forum in Katowice also provided an excellent venue and opportunity to make new contacts, as well as to present and discuss new initiatives and activities for urban development.

After the Covid-19 pandemic and in the wake of the war in Ukraine, the registration of more than 22.5 thousand participants from around the world for the event represents a new attendance record. This proves that still and perhaps especially after a pandemic, it is all the more necessary to talk about cities that help their residents the fastest and can respond most effectively to their needs and to new, unforeseen threats. They are flexible, open and are becoming increasingly aware of the need to adapt to the challenges of the future,

said the Deputy Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak.

As of today, a new clock is already beating, which has begun to measure the waiting time for the next World Urban Forum, which this time will be held in two years in Cairo and to which you are already cordially invited,

said the deputy head of the MDFRP.

What happened at WUF 11

The program of the World Urban Forum in Katowice consisted of:

• more than a dozen types of events for example such as dialogues, special sessions, workshops and round tables. In total, nearly 500 substantive meetings of various types were held. They were organized by UN-Habitat Poland and, for the most part, by external partners who were selected in an open call.

The discussion at WUF11 focused on seven main issues:

• Just cities
• The green future of cities
• Innovation and technology
• Building urban resilience
• Urban planning and management
• The future of the urban economy and finance
• Responding to crises and rebuilding cities

Polish pavilion

Participants of the World Urban Forum were able to visit the Polish Pavilion in the Urban EXPO zone. This is a big construction with an interesting design, combining traditional features of Polish architecture with contemporary trends. In this space, not only Polish achievements were presented, but also topics important for Poland were discussed. A number of talks were held at the Pavilion, including the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war and youth participation in decision-making in regard to urban activities.

Urban EXPO

The attraction that received the most attention at each World Urban Forum was the Urban EXPO. It is an exhibition space where countries, cities, international and non-governmental organizations and companies presented their pavilions on 8 thousand square meters. Often these were impressive constructions with interesting functionalities. The Urban Expo attracted 89 exhibitors from 43 countries from all regions of the world, including the US, Germany, France, Mexico, South Korea, Indonesia, Kenya and Thailand. Half of the exhibitors are from outside Europe.

11 thematic zones - "WUF in the city"

During WUF11 learning and entertainment went hand in hand. When the discussions and speeches at the International Convention Center were over, WUF11 participants would go out into the city! The center of Katowice was divided into 11 thematic zones, under the common banner of "WUF in the city." It was there that people from all over the world spent their afternoons and evenings. There was no shortage of good music, cinema and workshops. All free of charge, and available immediately. The zones were located outside the ICC, but within a maximum of 15 minutes walking distance from the conference center. The following zones were created:

• Relaxation Zone
• Science Zone
• Innovations Zone
• Centrum Zone
• City of Youth
• KATO Urban Corner
• Music City Zone
• Culture and Art Zone
• City360
• Metrolab
• Urban Cinema by Santander

Availability

A particularly important aspect of the preparation and the event itself are accessibility issues. We have adapted the conference center's infrastructure to meet the needs of people with disabilities. We have conducted an accessibility audit. We want to set an example for the next WUF hosts.

Business

Another important participant in WUF11 is business. The future of cities is closely linked to the development of the private sector. That's why the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy has partnered with the UN Global Compact. We have created an informal Business Council. It allows Polish companies and branches of foreign companies operating in Poland to co-facilitate the Business Round Table together with UN-Habitat.

Youth

One of the partners of the 11th session of the World Urban Forum was the Youth Council established by the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy. The council is working to ensure that the voice of the youth resonates both during preparations to WUF11 and during the event itself.

What is the World Urban Forum

The World Urban Forum is the world's largest event on urban development. It is held every two years. The first session was organized in 2002 in Nairobi. To date, the forum has been hosted among others in Vancouver, Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi, and has attracted from several to as many as 20 thousand participants from all over the world. The originator and main organizer of the WUF is UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Program.

Poland and Katowice were the hosts and co-organizers of the 11th WUF session. This was the first time the event, which this time ran from 26 to 30 June 2022, was held in Central and Eastern Europe. The slogan of the Polish WUF session was: “Changing cities for a better future.”

Partners of the event, who supported the organizers from the Polish side were: Institute for Urban and Regional Development and the WUF11 Youth Council.