The Youth Cafe’s Executive Director has been invited to speak and deliver his valuable remarks during the Urban Economy Forum (UEF), organized by UN-Habitat, on the occasion of the United Nations’ World Habitat Day, October 3-4, 2022. The annual forum will be an international gathering, held both virtually and in person in Toronto, Canada. UEF4. This year, the 4th Urban Economy Forum, or UEF4, focuses on Sustainable Urban Finance and continues to build an international discourse on achieving a sustainable urban economy. UEF’s network is increasingly expanding across the globe, as well as with critical regions and localities that are considered innovators and implementors of sustainable urban economy concepts and approaches. UEF is proud to have the support of many partners from all over the world. City leaders, urban academics, national and local governments, urban practitioners and activists, and influential and relevant organizations all play an essential role in this conversation.
The annual Urban Economy Forum (UEF) conference is a major urban economy event and is being held on the United Nations’ World Habitat Day in October. It features essential subjects of current interest to urban professionals, city leaders, the private sector, and civil society while creating a platform for partnership and networking opportunities. UEF’s annual conference has been an international platform for sharing experiences and lessons, enabling policy dialogue, and exchanging good practices and recommendations for the last three years. The aim is to assist urban policymakers and practitioners in achieving sustainable urban economies through practical approaches.
This meeting attempts to provide international cooperation toward implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provides a stronger voice and capacity for cities and communities to lead this movement and localize necessary activities.
Following the recommendation from the consultative meeting of the UEF4 steering committee, this year's forum will focus on Sustainable Urban Finance and seek to build an international dialogue and recommend practical approaches to achieve a sustainable urban economy. This is a timely conference to think about innovative ways of financing sustainable urban development and channel more predictable funding to large and small cities.
UEF continues to identify and encourage those at the forefront of the industry to join in this global conversation. This inclusive support improves the discourse's quality and substantive nature. As the provision and management of financial resources is a crucial issue in urban governance, it is a critical topic for sustainable urban development and the potential delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the related United Nations New Urban Agenda (NUA).
Based on the last three forums, there is still a long way to go to generate a comprehensive body
of knowledge. As the field of sustainable urban economy and urban resources is still in its infancy, there is a need for clarity on the basic concepts and to define the foundations of the narrative. UEF4 aims to strengthen principles and systems for urban management, providing a practical pathway to improving urban centers' economic and social outcomes. The annual forum takes a practical and applied perspective to the dialogue introduced each Year.
The 4th Urban Economy Forum will also examine financial and banking institutions' mandates and operations to identify commonalities concerning urban resource management. At the UEF4, deliberations will also focus on issues about the need for capacity building of cities to access and manage finance to achieve a sustainable urban economy. In addition, the UEF4 will discuss the importance of economic policies at the macro and micro levels that have relevance for the local governments, private sector, communities, and urban stakeholders. This will help in identifying and sharing opportunities for innovations.
The Forum will also address sustainable urban finance in the context of climate and environmental emergencies, poverty, and pandemics. Cities are facing a convergence of global crises, which has significant implications for urban economies worldwide.
COVID-19, for example, while it is a public health crisis, has also severely affected the global economy, financial markets, and urban revenue sources. It has made cities vulnerable, with millions of jobs lost and increasing homelessness. In the post-COVID world, economic issues will be even more prominent, especially regarding their impacts on the future of sustainable urban development.
The Youth Cafe believes this is a fantastic opportunity for UEF4 to bring together international and national financial institutions and provide a platform to understand the current financing state. It will explore the role of finance in facilitating the development of inclusive, participatory, gender and age-responsive cities. UEF4 will create a global dialogue where both developing and industrialized countries will have a platform to discuss how access to finance can create opportunities for new investors at the local, national, and international scales. Bottom-up and practical approaches will be at the heart of this forum.
UEF’s network continues to expand rapidly across the globe. The forum hosts more academics, government officials, urban practitioners, financiers, and civil society organizations each year. This vast and converging network of academics and practitioners contributes to a global discourse on sustainable urban economy and finance. Access to and management of financial resources is crucial for good urban governance. It is essential to consider finance as a critical topic of sustainable urban development and understand its potential for delivering the United Nations’ SDGs and the related New Urban Agenda.
UEF 2021 was a remarkable success with the participation of more than 250 speakers from over 100 countries. Ministers, mayors, city leaders, other government officials, academia, the private sector, NGO representatives, and the public participated in the previous year’s forum. Last year, UEF reached an audience worldwide, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia, and Europe. Here, you can also find last year’s resolution, known as the Brampton Resolution.
UEF 2022 will continue encouraging collaborative and inclusive solutions for the urban economy. This year’s forum aims to increase the relevance, efficiency, and positive impact of urban economies and municipal finance for sustainable urban development. The forum will host presentations on existing incubation and investment platforms and explore how other platforms can be improved to catalyze and accelerate urban financing.