ACTIVITIES
The twelth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12) was held in November 2024 in Cairo, Egypt, under the theme 'It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities'.
The PEARLS initiative took part with a networking event titled 'Climate Justice and the Value of People-Led Urban River Regeneration'.
PEARLS at WUF11
The eleventh session of the World Urban Forum (WUF11) took place in June 2022 in Katowice, Poland, under the theme 'Transforming Our Cities for a Better Urban Future'.
As part of this event, the PEARLS initiative contributed to the main theme of urban transformation by organizing a networking event which sought to to promote urban transformation towards more inclusive, liveable, prosperous and climate-friendly cities through establishing a new community of knowledge and practice on People Centred and Resilient Spaces related to Urban Rivers (PEARLS).
PEARLS at World Habitat Day
World Habitat Day, the first Monday of October each year, was established by the United Nations in 1985. It serves as a moment to reflect on the state of our habitats and to emphasize the fundamental right of everyone to adequate shelter. The day also calls on individuals and communities worldwide to recognize their shared responsibility in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for urban habitats.
In 2022, World Habitat Day included the event 'Urban Rivers: Connecting people, cities and rivers'. It was held on 3 October 2022 in Oslo, Norway and organized in cooperation between UN-Habitat, Habitat Norge and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
The case studies presented at the Urban Rivers event give an overwiew on hands-on experiences from the field of Urban River development and management. They show how Urban Rivers can be seen and treated as public space and a valuable resource and hence contribute to a community of knowledge and practice.
