| Time & Location | Event | Organizer |
|---|---|---|
9:30 Dialogue Room A |
Dialogue: Housing at the centre of crisis recovery and reconstruction When crises destroy homes and uproot communities, the loss reaches far beyond physical structures: it affects safety, dignity, livelihoods and the fabric of social life. As more displaced people seek refuge in urban areas, many find themselves in precarious housing situations that heighten their vulnerability to further shocks. This dialogue will explore why housing must stand at the centre of crisis response, recovery and reconstruction, and how cities can restore stability by protecting housing, land and property rights and supporting self-recovery. The session will highlight housing solutions that meet urgent needs while enabling long-term recovery, resilience and inclusion for displaced people and host communities alike. |
UN-Habitat |
12:00 SDGs in Action - Room B |
MDB Cities Group, C40 and Gcom - Financing System-Wide Urban Resilience The session forms part of the ongoing collaboration between the MDB Cities Group and the city networks C40 and GCoM, focusing on central themes aimed at scaling up climate finance for cities. It will examine how climate change is increasingly shaping where and how people live, and how MDBs are financing solutions that strengthen resilience across entire urban systems. Using a systems-thinking lens, the discussion will highlight the interconnections between housing, neighbourhoods, infrastructure and ecosystems, and demonstrate why mainstreaming resilience across these areas is critical to safeguarding urban residents. Building on this framing, the session will draw on concrete examples of how different MDBs have supported urban resilience, emphasizing that aligning MDB finance with city-level planning can enhance resilience, equity and long-term sustainability. These examples will also highlight key features that have contributed to successful implementation. |
GCOM |
12:00 Multipurpose Room 06 |
Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Transformation of Informal Settlements and Slums This session will explore how integrated, inclusive, and people-centered approaches to informal settlement upgrading and slum transformation can accelerate progress towards the New Urban Agenda and respond to the WUF13 call for action-oriented solutions for more equitable, resilient, and sustainable cities. The discussion will highlight comprehensive programmes that combine housing improvement, provision of basic services, infrastructure upgrading, and access to public facilities, while strengthening social cohesion and improving living conditions. The session will bring together national and local government officials, regional institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, academia, and urban practitioners from different regions to foster cross-regional dialogue and knowledge exchange. It will emphasize the role of strong institutions, effective governance arrangements, and inclusive planning processes in ensuring sustainable and scalable outcomes. The session will further examine enabling policy frameworks, financing mechanisms, institutional coordination, and technical tools that allow informal settlement upgrading to be embedded within national and local urban development strategies. Particular attention will be given to rights-based and inclusive approaches that protect vulnerable populations, prevent displacement, and enhance trust in public institutions. |
Ministry of Interior - Kingdom of Morocco |
12:00 ONE UN Room C |
Building low-carbon housing - from National Policy to Local Action This event will examine the key challenges and success factors for delivering affordable and sustainable housing in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Through presentations by national and local leaders (Armenia, Brazil, Colombia, India, Kenya, Uzbekistan); UN agencies, and international organizations, the event will highlight how multilevel governance approaches—supported by UN-led programmes such as CHAMP and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction’s (GlobalABC) Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings (ZERB) Accelerator—are helping countries and cities put low-carbon and climate-resilient housing policies into practice, while maintaining housing supply and affordability. The event will also showcase strong partnerships between UNEP (including its role as lead of the GlobalABC and Cool Coalition secretariat), UN-Habitat, other UN agencies, and key partners such as the World Bank, World Resources Institute (WRI), C40 Cities, and the Under2 Coalition. Particular attention will be given to collaboration under the ZERB Accelerator and BeCool programme. |
UNEP |
14:00 Multipurpose Room 15 |
Beyond External Finance: Can Cities Scale Their Own Revenues While Delivering Housing Solutions? Many cities still under‑mobilize own‑source revenues (OSR), which consists of taxes and fees that a local government is authorized to collect (e.g., property taxes), providing a predictable and accountable foundation for investment in housing‑enabling infrastructure and services. The National Association of Municipalities of Cabo Verde (ANMCV), together with Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, e-Gov and the UN‑Habitat, are convening this networking event to move the OSR agenda beyond incremental fixes toward durable, system‑level gains that strengthen cities’ capacity to deliver the essentials of adequate housing at scale. The session will focus on how cities can move from small OSR tweaks to large-scale revenue gains through rapid diagnostics, novel technology, regulatory reform, land-value capture tools, and improved utilization of public assets. |
National Association of Municipalities of Cabo Verde (ANMCV) |
16:00 Multipurpose Room 08 |
Delivering Housing At Scale Connecting Policy, Innovation And Finance For Safe And Resilient Cities This WUF13 networking event positions housing as a core urban system and focuses on achieving delivery at scale through stronger alignment of policy, innovation, and finance. Designed as a solution‑oriented platform, it connects policy‑makers, cities, financiers, innovators, and knowledge partners to share scalable approaches that strengthen affordability, resilience, and inclusion. The session also highlights the responsible use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) as decision‑support tools and promotes cross‑regional collaboration, while identifying opportunities for pilots, financing, technical support, and post‑WUF follow‑up. |
URBANICE Malaysia (Ministry of Housing & Local Government) |
- Overview
- Events
- Knowledge
- Partnerships
The World Bank Group is attending the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) to showcase how we work with national and local governments to create jobs and build more livable cities. Join us live in Baku at our events, at our Urban Expo pavilion and online to learn more.
INVESTING IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT
As the world's largest multilateral financier of urban development, the World Bank Group works with national and local governments to build more livable, sustainable, and resilient cities and communities. Our urban development strategy has four areas of focus:
- Resilient, low-carbon infrastructure and services: Rapid urbanization requires massive investment in green infrastructure and services, with needs estimated at up to $2.7 trillion annually in low- and middle-income countries alone. We are addressing these challenges by financing projects focused on solid waste management, sustainable mobility, transit-oriented development, flood protection, nature-based solutions, public spaces, and neighborhood upgrading.
- Safe, adequate housing and buildings: High levels of informality and a lack of affordable housing are key global issues, with approximately one quarter of the world’s urban population, or over 1 billion people, living in slums and informal settlements. We are tackling these issues by financing projects focused on housing finance, national affordable housing programs, resilient housing, housing reconstruction, public buildings retrofits, and land administration and governance.
- Vibrant local economies: Cities are engines of economic growth, accounting for 80% of global GDP and 88% of private sector job creation. However, congestion, pollution, and sprawl prevent many cities from reaping the full benefits of agglomeration, limiting their potential for job creation. We are working to promote more vibrant local economies by financing projects focused on urban revitalization, tourism, cultural heritage, economic zones, private sector development, and skills development.
- Strong local governments: Local governments often have limited capacity to plan for and finance the investments needed for sustainable urban development. We are strengthening local governance by financing projects focused on institutional strengthening, own-source revenue enhancement, intergovernmental fiscal transfers, subnational borrowing, land-based finance, and national reforms to improve the enabling framework.
The World Bank Group is attending the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) to showcase how we work with national and local governments to build more livable, sustainable, and resilient cities and communities. Join us live in Baku at our events, at our Urban Expo pavilion and online to learn more.
Note: All times are Azerbaijan Time (UTC/GMT+4). To watch the event livestreams online, register for WUF13 via UN-Habitat GEMS and download the official WUF13 app from the Apple App Store on iOS or Google Play Store on Android.
World Bank Group Events at WUF13
| Date & Location | Event |
Tuesday, May 19 16:00 Multipurpose Room 01 |
Sub-Saharan Africa’s Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Job Creation Hosted by the World Bank Group, this event will preview the upcoming flagship report, Sub-Saharan Africa’s Urban Awakening: Catalyzing Economic Growth and Job Creation. This report provides an evidence-based analysis of the major urbanization challenges that confront Sub-Saharan African countries, and based on this, makes recommendations as to how the region’s national and local policymakers can better leverage the rapid urbanization of its youthful population for both economic growth and “more and better” job creation. |
Wednesday, May 20 11:30 Think Pod, Area A |
From Global Housing Finance to Local Affordable Housing Action: Leveraging Global Development and Subnational Finance Co-hosted by UN-Habitat and the World Bank Group, this session will bring together senior representatives from multilateral and regional development banks, UN agencies, and subnational finance experts to advance a practical agenda for scaling up housing delivery. It will examine evidence from IFI‑supported housing operations, focusing on informal settlement upgrading, post‑conflict reconstruction, and national programmes with strong subnational delivery components. The session will explore financing instruments, delivery models, and institutional approaches that are working, as well as critical bottlenecks across the project cycle. A second panel will address how cities can better access and absorb development finance through municipal creditworthiness, bankable project pipelines, and alignment of IFI instruments with incremental and community‑based housing delivery. |
Wednesday, May 20 16:00 ONE UN Room B |
Bankable Municipalities, Livable Cities Hosted by the World Bank Group, this session will focus on expanding access to finance at the subnational level to address critical urban infrastructure needs. As cities continue to grow, municipal governments, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, face investment requirements that far exceed available public and development finance, underscoring the need for stronger fiscal frameworks and greater use of commercial and repayable financing. The session will examine the key constraints that limit municipal access to finance and explore practical policy and institutional solutions to address them. Drawing on the World Bank Group’s analytical work, the discussion will highlight reforms to strengthen municipal creditworthiness, improve enabling environments, and mobilize private capital. |
Partner Events at WUF13
| Time & Location | Event | Organizer |
|---|---|---|
12:00 Multipurpose Room 15 |
Beyond the Hype-Where Private Finance Works for Cities-And Where It Doesn't The session aims to shift discourse from aspirational rhetoric about crowding-in private finance toward realistic assessment of what cities genuinely need, where private finance is viable, and where public resources are ultimately most effective for infrastructure provision. |
ADB |
13:00 Special Session Room A and B |
Special Session: Housing at the Centre of Global Coalitions Housing is gaining prominence within global governance platforms as a critical foundation for social stability, climate resilience, and economic recovery. Major intergovernmental coalitions—including the Group of Seven (G7), Group of Twenty (G20), Group of 77 (G77), and BRICS—are increasingly recognizing housing as a cross-cutting priority within their policy agendas. However, translating these political commitments into large-scale financing and concrete implementation remains a significant challenge. This special session will explore how global coalitions and international financial institutions can work together to place housing at the center of multilateral cooperation and investment. Convened by UN-Habitat, this session will bring together ministers, city leaders, representatives of international financial institutions, and key stakeholders to discuss pathways for aligning global political commitments with innovative financing mechanisms and implementation support. |
UN-Habitat |
13:00 Roundtable Room A |
One UN Roundtable: How can the UN system deliver coordinated solutions to accelerate housing and the SDGs? The One UN Roundtable aims to advance a shared United Nations system approach to addressing the global housing crisis by positioning adequate housing as a catalyst for accelerating progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The session will highlight the role of the Resident Coordinator system in fostering coordinated, multilevel action across UN entities and national and local partners. It will also explore how housing priorities can be more effectively integrated into United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs) and national development strategies, while showcasing practical examples of interagency collaboration and partnerships that support integrated housing and urban solutions. |
UN-Habitat |
13:30 Urban Library - Room A |
From Data Gaps to Decisions: AI and the Future of Housing Intelligence Housing policy is only as good as the data behind it, but today’s housing data is slow, siloed, and hard to compare. This event looks at how AI can simplify, speed up, and standardize housing data across countries, helping users identify trends, risks, and policy blind spots in real time. Featuring insights from the Global Housing Database, the discussion highlights what’s now possible when housing data meets machine intelligence. |
Miyamoto and CAHF |
16:00 Multipurpose Room 08 |
Financing Cities for All: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Housing Finance Strategies The objective of this session is to highlight innovative solutions capable of addressing the housing affordability crisis. In particular, we aim to compare the Moroccan experience—marked by its recent shift toward direct housing assistance—with other international trajectories and perspectives from the private and academic sectors. In this regard, your expertise in financing mechanisms is highly anticipated to enrich this collective discussion. |
National Housing Council - Kingdom of Morocco |
| Time & Location | Event | Organizer |
|---|---|---|
9:30 Multipurpose Room 07 |
Geospatial Intelligence for Resilient Urban Growth, Unlocking the Economic Power of Housing This training event offers the essential instruments and concepts to analyse human settlements and the urbanization process with geospatial and socio-economic data at all levels. The aim is to inspire the audience and transfer practical competences for evidence-based analysis of cities, housing stocks, and economic urban systems, municipalities and regions. The blend of lightning talks on core development and urbanization topics with practical examples visualizing inequality, housing stock dynamics, and urban spatial expansion participants will gain knowledge about how housing location influences access to economic opportunities and services, ensuring no one is left behind. Participants will learn how mapping energy‑inefficient housing, accessibility patterns, and vulnerable communities informs renovation strategies, investment planning and equitable climate action. The target audience ranges from beginners to intermediate analysts, researchers, city practitioners, all will be guided to independently assess city and regional indicators. Participants will master key concepts like the Degree of Urbanisation, will analyze trends by interpreting data to track housing, socio-economic and disaster risk management, and will navigate accessible platforms to extract actionable indicators for local planning and investment monitoring
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European Commission |
12:00 Multipurpose Room 06 |
Building Global Partnerships to Monitor SDG 11.1.1 with Geo AI This networking event will bring together international experts engaged in monitoring and reporting SDG 11.1.1 to advance inclusive urban development. A central focus of the discussion will be the policy needs and information requirements of local and national actors. Too often, Geo AI methods are developed with a limited understanding of what level of detail is actionable for decision-makers, or how information fits into planning and investment processes. The session will be structured to foster interaction and peer exchange. It will begin with a joint presentation outlining a shared vision and framing the discussion (15–20 minutes), followed by short individual statements from panelists introducing their background, motivations for joining, and main priorities. Participants will then engage through interactive tools (e.g., live polling or facilitated inputs) to surface perspectives and common themes, before concluding with a moderated discussion to synthesize insights and identify concrete next steps for collaboration. |
Inter-American Development Bank |
12:00 Buisness and Innovation Hub |
Building Data as an Accelerator for Energy Transition, Housing Quality and Green Finance This session will draw on international and national experiences, including the GlobalABC Data Hub Network, to highlight practical ways to strengthen building data and digitalization. It will explore how more robust and transparent building data can improve decision-making, reduce risk, and enable green finance, helping unlock private capital and scale investment in sustainable buildings." |
Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction |
12:00 Multipurpose Room 15 |
Innovative Models to Unlock Finance for Climate-Resilient Housing in Intermediary Cities This interactive networking and matchmaking session brings together intermediary cities and financing actors to address the gap between climate-resilient housing ambitions and implementation. It is co-organised by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM); the Gap Fund (implemented by the World Bank and the European Investment Bank); NUCA (hosted by the International Development Finance Club); and UN-Habitat through its Cities Investment Facility (CIF), in collaboration with project preparation facilities and national and multilateral development banks. Through facilitated matchmaking and small-group exchanges, participants will examine 1) how intermediary cities can design climate-resilient housing projects that remain attractive to financiers from early concepts through implementation, 2) identify the technical, institutional, and innovative financial elements required at each stage of project preparation to avoid delays or project stalling, and 3) explore how development banks, intermediaries, and project preparation facilities can work together to translate city-level demand into scalable investment programmes. |
GCOM |
12:00 Voices from Cities - Room A |
Housing as a Right, not an Investment: Curbing Speculation to Ensure Affordable Housing in the Global South With 2.8B people facing housing inadequacy and 1.1B in slums, housing has become a speculative financial asset. Additionally, Market volatility and "profit-first" development leave 167M homes at climate risk, displacing low-income groups and fueling urban inequality across the Global South This session explores how multilevel governance systems can operationalize housing policies that guarantee affordability. The framework focuses on Investor Attraction through strategic fiscal and regulatory tools, such as tax exemptions, fast- permitting, and land-use incentives. In exchange, developers commit to allocating 50% of their projects to low-cost housing units. |
Social Housing and Mortgage Finance Fund - Egypt |
14:00 Multipurpose Room 01 |
Financing Housing Justice: Approaches to advance anti-discriminatory, democratic, sustainable and caring housing futures The networking event will bring together participants to identify justice-oriented housing finance pathways that challenge unsustainable housing systems. A diverse group of housing, finance, policy, advocacy, and research actors will engage with the question of “A New Deal for Housing Finance” with the objective to bridge the often-siloed discussions on housing rights and finance. The event will launch a collaborative publication by the Hub for Housing Justice. |
IIED |
16:00 Multipurpose Room 02 |
Financing Housing in a Shifting Funding Environment - From Oda to Philanthropy and Local Funding Mechanisms The session will showcase emerging best practices for tracking housing-related ODA, diversifying housing finance, and strengthening partnerships among CSOs, governments, and donors. It will highlight OECD data alongside practical approaches to diversifying housing finance, including blended finance models, public private-community partnerships, community-led financial mechanisms, and tenure-responsive upgrading. This will include examples of resilient partnerships that can adapt to declining ODA. |
Rooftops Canada; HfHI; IIED; UrbaMonde |
16:00 Multipurpose Room 01 |
Scaling Resilience: Self-Built Housing as a Pathway to Safer, Climate-Ready Cities In this session, we will showcase examples that support self-built housing as an innovative, scalable pathway for addressing the global housing crisis—particularly in informal and hard-to-reach communities across the Global South. Government and housing leaders will join the discussion to explore what is required to mobilize the resources required to replicate and scale climate-resilient self-built housing. |
BuildChange |
The World Bank Group is the largest single source of development knowledge. We are not just a source of financing, but also a Knowledge Bank: a leading knowledge broker that gathers, develops, and shares the best ideas to drive impact at scale. Explore our recent urban development research and publications below.
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT
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What a Waste 3.0: Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management toward Circularity until 2050Drawing on the most recent publicly accessible data from 217 countries and economies and 262 cities, the World Bank Group's new What a Waste 3.0 report is the most comprehensive global reference dataset on municipal solid waste.
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Banking on Cities: Investing in Resilient and Low-Carbon UrbanizationBanking on Cities estimates the annual investment needed through 2050 to support resilient and low-carbon urban development across low- and middle-income countries.
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Handbook for Livable and Resilient Cities: Integrating Hazard and Risk Information into Urban PlanningDrawing on the most recent publicly accessible data from 217 countries and economies and 262 cities, the World Bank Group's new What a Waste 3.0 report provides a comprehensive global reference dataset on municipal solid waste.
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Handbook for Urban Heat Management in the Global SouthThe Handbook on Urban Heat Management in the Global South, developed by the World Bank in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) brings together real examples and strategies from cities that are already tackling extreme heat. It focuses on powerful solutions that are feasible, affordable, and easy to adapt—especially those that expand access to accessible, sustainable cooling.
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Unlivable: How Cities in Europe and Central Asia Can Survive—and Thrive—in a Hotter FutureExtreme heat is becoming one of the most lethal and underestimated threats to cities in Europe and Central Asia, exacerbating health risks, undermining productivity, and pushing infrastructure to its limits. This report presents new analysis showing that without urgent adaptation, heat-related deaths could double or triple, and economic losses could reach 2.5% of GDP by mid-century. The report identifies cities as both the frontline victims and potential leaders in building resilience, offering a roadmap of practical, high-impact actions. With targeted investments, cities can cool their environments, protect vulnerable populations, and safeguard economic performance in an increasingly hotter world.
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Partnerships are foundational to the World Bank Group’s work and vital to realizing our goal of ending poverty on a livable planet. We work with a growing array of development partners to help meet our shared goals, including trust funds, financial intermediary funds, and co-financing arrangements.
