University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City attends the 12th World Urban Forum in Cairo, Egypt
On November 4–8, 2024, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) attended the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo, Egypt. The World Urban Forum (WUF), founded by the United Nations in 2001 and held biennially, initially convened in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002. WUF is the world's biggest international urban event, bringing together leaders, experts, and stakeholders from all over the world to debate urban concerns such as increasing urbanization and its effects on communities, cities, economies, and climate policy..
WUF12 with a theme "It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities," attracted more than 37,000 delegates from 182 countries, including Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach. There were over 600 networking events and discussion sessions on six topics: (1) Housing our Future: solutions to the housing crisis; (2) Cities and the Climate Crisis: cities' role in addressing climate change; (3) Stronger Together: the power of cooperation to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); (4) Financing Localization and Localizing Finance: mobilizing and allocating local funds to achieve SDGs; (5) Putting People First in a Digital Age: combining urbanization and digital technology to promote living quality, with a focus on people' rights during the technological transition; and (6) The Loss of Home: local ways to protecting livelihoods and creating sustainable cities.
At WUF12, UEH collaborated with major universities in the Asia-Pacific region, including the University of Sydney (Australia), the University of Auckland (New Zealand), Thammasat University (Thailand), and the Bandung Institute of Technology (Indonesia), to exchange educational and research information, and to introduce projects and urban development initiatives at the Asia-Pacific University Urban Center (ASPAC). UEH also provided viewpoints on Costs of Sustainable Urbanization in SE-Asia, Secondary Cities in Asia-Pacific region, Settlements in Asia and beyond
Following the event, the ASPAC network agreed to keep working on research on sustainable urbanization under SDG direction. Other French, South Korean, and Israeli institutions started early discussions on using Digital Twin methods and artificial intelligence to build megacities. Apart from presenting Vietnam's successes in sustainable urbanism, UEH's involvement at the WUF12 Expo intended to create chances for worldwide research and education collaboration.
In two discussion sessions—"Local actions through inclusive urban planning practices for sustainable development of cities" and "Planning mega cities in the age of digital technology"—Dr. Trinh Tu Anh, Director of the Institute of Smart Cities and Management, joined experts and representatives from Turkey, Egypt, South Korea, Belgium, Mexico, and Nepal during the forum. In the first session, UEH provided a perspective on the role of planning in the improvement of environmental protection and quality of life. The University emphasized the significance of supportive policies, multidisciplinary collaboration, and co-creation in the development of sustainable living environments. UEH also addressed its approach to the development of community art, tourism, and economics in Tam Thanh commune, Quang Nam province, as part of the "Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for Urban Development in Vietnam" (ISCB) project, which UEH (represented by ISCM) is engaging, executed by UN-Habitat. In addition, UEH proposed initiatives and shared practical experiences in deploying technology to enhance and promote smart urban development in Vietnam during the second session, which concentrated on the impact of digital technology on planning for megacities worldwide.
The participation of UEH at WUF12 marks the first presence of a Vietnamese university at a large-scale, global conference like the WUF, contributing to the enhancement of UEH’s academic reputation. This coincides with UEH’s vision to become a regional leading multidisciplinary and sustainable university, promoting high-quality education and research that meet international standards, and helping to the development of a civilized and sustainable society.