“What would you like to see in your city?”
This simple question is posted on the wall of the Egypt International Exhibition Center, where the 12th edition of the International Forum (WUF12) is being held.
Many youth representatives enthusiastically wrote their answers on this wall and some said they were full of ideas and suggestions.
Claudia Rossbach, Executive Director of the UN Agency for Habitat Affairs (UN-Habitat) stood behind the wall during an event.
He stressed that immediate action is needed to build homes for the children who are being born into this world.
“We don’t want the slums to be the birthplace of the next generation.”
The head of the United Nations said this in the dialogue organized on ‘Housing for the Future’.
Participants in this program talk about adequate housing, barriers to housing accessibility and solutions to these problems.
According to Claudia Rossbach, cities need to plan for the future and understand how young people live now and how they will live in the future.
Youth participation in urban development
In an afternoon session, children and youth participated in a round table discussion, where they expressed their ideas for future cities and communities.
Lujan Romoji, a 19-year-old dentistry student, is the deputy leader of an alliance called LEAF. He represented Egypt as a junior negotiator at the United Nations Climate Change Conference on the issue of ‘harm and damage’ to developing countries due to climate change.
He told UN News that he is joining WUF12 to advocate for sustainable, innovative solutions that play an important role in urban planning and sustainable development.
Lujan and other youth representatives presented a policy manifesto expanding the voice of youth, which will be presented next week at the United Nations’ annual climate conference (COP29) in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.