7th WORLD URBAN FORUM
Urban Equity in Development
Cities for Life

Medellín, Colombia
REGISTRATION CLOSED  
UN-HABITAT | United Nations Human Settlements Programme

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is a non-legislative technical forum convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), hosted in a different city every two years, to examine the most pressing issues facing the world today in the area of human settlements, including rapid urbanization and its impact on cities, communities, economies, climate change and policies. It is the World’s Premier Conference on Cities. This year, the Seventh session of the World Urban Forum will take place April 5-11 in the city of Medellín, located in the department of Antioquia, in Colombia.



THEME 
'Urban Equity in Development – Cities for Life'
It is estimated that more than two thirds of the world’s population lives in cities where income inequality has increased since the 1980’s. In many cases, this increase has been staggering. Inequalities are present in urban spaces, with cities divided by invisible borders that take the form of social, cultural and economic exclusion. Slums, the face of poverty and urban inequality, continue to increase in most countries of the developing world, perpetuating the lack of access to basic services and political representation to the most vulnerable communities. Gender inequality persists, preventing women from accessing secondary education, decent employment, political representation, and reproductive health care. Moreover, youth inequalities manifest in discrimination in access to education, differentiated levels of employment and livelihood opportunities, lack of participation in decision making, and prejudice against sexual preferences. Cities, then, are a critical component in addressing the inequality problem. Their design, governance, and infrastructure have direct impact on the lives and opportunities of their inhabitants.

THE 'WUF 7' PROGRAMME
The World Urban Forum 7 is developed in seven days, April 5 – 11, organized in different sessions and activities:

1. Assemblies
During Monday 7th’s session, three main assemblies with representatives of three key society groups are held to debate about the WUF7 theme, prior to the beginning of the academic agenda.
• World Urban Youth Assembly 
• Gender Equality Action Assembly 
• Business Assembly

2. Dialogues
Six high-level debates to discuss the WUF7 academic subtopics: 
• Equity in urban development law 
• Urban planning and design for social cohesion 
• Basic Services: local businesses for equitable cities 
• Innovative !nancial instruments for local authorities 
• Raising standards of urban resilience
• A safe city as a just and equitable city

3. Round tables
The Forum hosts a series of round tables, most of them open to the public, lead by groups forming the Habitat Agenda: Ministers, Mayors, Global Parlamentarians on Habitat, Civil Society Organizations, Private Sector, Habitat Professionals, University, Urban Researchers, Youth, Indigenous Peoples, Gender and Women.

4. Special sessions 
The Forum brings together some speci!c sessions that set the debate from different perspectives of the development agenda.The Host Country, Colombia, will be in charge of the organization of three Special Sessions to discuss challenges and opportunities of the country.

5. Partners' events
The Forum includes an extensive programme of events, arranged by the same organizations participating in the Conference.
• Networking events 
• Side events 
• Training events

6. Urban talks 
For three days, WUF7 will bring together internationally recognized names in the financial, political and cultural world to reflect on the challenges of the cities in the 21st Century. 
Conirmed panelists: 
• Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 
• Richard Florida, Expert in urban transformation and economic growth

7. Opening and closing ceremonies
The WUF7 Opening Ceremony will be held on Monday, April 7, 2014, at 4:30 pm. The Closing Ceremony will be held on Friday, April 11 2014 at 5 pm.

8. The World Urban Forum exhibition
The World Urban Forum exhibition is one of the liveliest areas of the Forum and will showcase some of the world’s premier cities and innovations in urban development. It will provide space for informal discussions, side events and the latest in urban living.

9. Medellin, The City Lab
Medellín, the second largest city in Colombia, is a city in transformation and known for its urban changes in the last years. The World Urban Forum 7 becomes a learning opportunity on the urban challenges field. The World Urban Forum 7 presents Medellín as a ‘City Lab’, allowing its participants to interact with it. There will be ‘Urban Routes’ within the Forum’s framework, designed for the participants.

INFO & CONTACTS
World Urban Forum website 
E-MAIL | wuf@unhabitat.org  
FACEBOOK | www.facebook.com/worldurbanforum
TWITTER | @worldurbanforum
INSTAGRAM | @worldurbanforum
HASHTAGS | #wuf7 #urbanequity