World Urban Forum III
Encyclopedia
World Urban Forum III was an international UN-Habitat
event on urban sustainability, also known as WUF3 (World Urban Forum) and FUM3 (Forum Urbain Mondial). WUF3 was organized by the UN-Habitat and facilitated and funded by the Government of Canada
. It was held on June 19-23 June 2006 in Vancouver
to help solve urgent problems of the world's cities.
"From Ideas to Action" was the intended outcome of the conference. Officially it was suggested that this conference would be considered a success if every participant took home and implemented at least one new idea.
, a three day international online event, was conceived to set the stage for the WUF3 conference. Seventy actionable ideas were collected through the Jam and were used to define themes and shape discussion topics for delegates attending the forum. Participation in Habitat Jam was open to public and private-sector organizations and individuals around the world with an interest in urban issues. While the Jam is over the discussions remain available online.
The gender ratios were 46.7% female and 52.1% male. Participants identified as Government, Parliamentarians, or Local Authority comprised 3,094 of the participants. The remaining participants were classified as Non-governmental organizations, Private Sector, Professional and Research Institutions, Foundations, Media, Inter-Governmental Organizations, Other Participants, Canada Secretariat and No Affiliation Indicated.
Compared to previous forums there was a notable increase in private sector participation. Up from 203 to 1,187 private sector participants between WUF2 and WUF3 in Vancouver.
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It was established in 1978 and has its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya...
event on urban sustainability, also known as WUF3 (World Urban Forum) and FUM3 (Forum Urbain Mondial). WUF3 was organized by the UN-Habitat and facilitated and funded by the Government of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was held on June 19-23 June 2006 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
to help solve urgent problems of the world's cities.
Conference objective
The theme of the third session of the world urban forum was: "Sustainable Cities - Turning Ideas into Action"."From Ideas to Action" was the intended outcome of the conference. Officially it was suggested that this conference would be considered a success if every participant took home and implemented at least one new idea.
Global urban context
Within the next 50 years, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas. As these cities expand, the world community faces the challenge of minimizing the growing poverty crisis and improving the urban poor's access to basic facilities, such as shelter, clean water and sanitation. World Urban Forum 3 brought together thousands of the world's best thinkers on urbanization — experts, decision makers and members of public and private institutions — to zero in on solutions to these key 21st century challenges.Defining the conference
Habitat JamHabitat jam
Habitat Jam was a massive online event organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme , the Government of Canada and IBM. It was held on December 1-4 2005 to help solve urgent problems of the world's cities....
, a three day international online event, was conceived to set the stage for the WUF3 conference. Seventy actionable ideas were collected through the Jam and were used to define themes and shape discussion topics for delegates attending the forum. Participation in Habitat Jam was open to public and private-sector organizations and individuals around the world with an interest in urban issues. While the Jam is over the discussions remain available online.
Participation
Attendance at WUF3 was estimated at 11,418 people registered from more than 100 countries. The number of participants was 9,689 while 1,847 were support staff and volunteers.The gender ratios were 46.7% female and 52.1% male. Participants identified as Government, Parliamentarians, or Local Authority comprised 3,094 of the participants. The remaining participants were classified as Non-governmental organizations, Private Sector, Professional and Research Institutions, Foundations, Media, Inter-Governmental Organizations, Other Participants, Canada Secretariat and No Affiliation Indicated.
Compared to previous forums there was a notable increase in private sector participation. Up from 203 to 1,187 private sector participants between WUF2 and WUF3 in Vancouver.
World Urban Forums
- UN Habitat I took place in 1976 in Vancouver, Canada. It placed local community concerns on the global urban agenda.
- UN-Habitat Istanbul+5 Conference (2001)
- WUF 1, NairobiNairobiNairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya, 2002 - WUF 2, BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, 13-17 September 2004 - WUF 3, VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada, 19-23 June 2006 - WUF 4, NanjingNanjing' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, China, 2008 - WUF 5, Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil, 22-26 March 2010