Sherif El Sherbini, the Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, has convened with Rania Hedeya, the Regional Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and Ahmed Rizk, the Director of the UN-Habitat Office in Egypt, to deliberate on strategies to bolster collaboration between the two entities and make arrangements for Egypt’s role as the host of the World Urban Forum, Invest-Gate reports.

The session was graced by the presence of Abdel Khaleq Ibrahim, the Assistant Minister of Housing for Technical Affairs.

El Sherbini elucidated that the ministry, in conjunction with Habitat, aims to revamp preceding generations of new cities into sustainable urban centers. This transformation involves establishing self-sustaining financial reservoirs for operational and maintenance purposes, ensuring enduring development within these cities, and catalyzing investments in fourth-generation urban areas, notably New Alamein City and New Mansoura City. The objective is to fortify each fourth-generation city with a robust economic foundation, positioning it as a hub for financial and commercial leadership within its respective region.

Furthermore, El Sherbini engaged with Hedeya in discussions regarding the forthcoming hosting of the 12th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12) by Egypt in November, a collaborative effort with UN-Habitat.

This event stands as the second most significant gathering on the United Nations agenda following the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Egypt’s hosting of the World Urban Forum marks a historic moment as the first African nation to do so since its inception in Nairobi, Kenya, and the second Arab nation after Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the tenth session.

Hedeya affirmed UN-Habitat’s unwavering support of the Egyptian government in meticulously preparing for WUF12, aiming to showcase Egypt’s advancements to the global community, building on the success of hosting the Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh. This accomplishment will further enhance Egypt’s urban and civilized standing on local, regional, and global scales.

Notably, the forum serves as the primary international platform dedicated to comprehensive sustainable urban development across all sectors and fields.

The meeting also delved into the finalization of the National Urban Policy, a pivotal roadmap encompassing diverse urban agglomerations, including a network of new cities, particularly fourth-generation cities.

Additionally, the discussion touched upon the initiation of the second phase of the urban policy, entailing a series of operational measures at the grassroots level.