Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with Regional Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Erfan Ali, to discuss arrangements to hold the 12th session of the World Urban Forum in 2024 in Egypt. Madbouly praised the existing cooperation between Egypt and the UN-Habitat, stressing Egypt's readiness to provide all the necessary capabilities to hold the 12th edition of the forum. The PM also reviewed Egypt's preparations for its expected presidency of the 27th Conference of the Parties for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) this November in Sharm El-Sheikh. For his part, Ali thanked the Egyptian government for hosting the regional office of the UN-Habitat for Arab States, reviewing in this regard the growth and development of the office's role at the regional level through his presence in Cairo. He also congratulated Egypt for being selected to organise the 12th session of the World Urban Forum, noting that the country had submitted a comprehensive file to host this forum and had put in all the necessary capabilities to ensure its success. Ali also spoke about the arrangements for holding the 11th session of the forum in Poland this June, asserting the importance of Egypt's presence at the event. Furthermore, Ali stressed that Egypt's hosting of the COP 27 represents an opportunity to devote the primary role of local authorities and administrations in activating climate action at the local level. He also hailed Egypt's efforts in sustainable urban development and its leading role in implementing the new urban agenda, including working to implement a number of projects and initiatives related to combating poverty in a number of regions, specifically in Upper Egypt.
