World Urban Forum 10 – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Organized by UN-Habitat, the 10th World Urban Forum was held from February 8 to 13, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the theme “Cities of Opportunity: Connecting Culture and Innovation”. The PFVT organized the French presence on the France Pavilion. Representatives from all the PFVT colleges mobilized and represented the diversity of French expertise: State and public administration, elected officials and communities, businesses, urban professionals, universities and research, as well as associations and NGOs.

The French delegation was led to FUM 10 by Cyrille Pierre, deputy director of globalization at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. It was made up of nearly 120 people representing the spheres of urban policies but also culture. All French stakeholders are part of a collective approach, carrying common positions developed during 2019 within working groups and formalized in 10 thematic booklets and a summary, distributed in English and French during of the World Urban Forum.

France at the World Urban Forum 10

Throughout the duration of the Forum, events were organized and took place in the French Pavilion:

  • Debate on various themes debated by French and foreign actors: the profession of planner, the SDGs in French policies, food, affordable housing, the informal sector, sustainable cities in Europe, citizenship and place women in the city, resilience, climate and even mobility.
  • Presentations of inspiring initiatives and projects: the AFD urban incubator, the USF sustainable city Africa program, the Bangui and Kampala workshops by the Ateliers de Cergy, the ASTON network, the Lomé Woelab, the program of POPSU world research, the DIVDs and the presentation of Rêve de Scènes Urbaines, the climate change observatory of Climate Chance, the network of African planners.
  • A round table “Crossed perspectives on the inclusive city: A France-UAE perspective” with the Sorbonne of Abu Dhabi was also organized with cross-testimonies on the development of sustainable and inclusive cities between Emirati and French practices.