The WUF has been organized by the United Nations since 2001 with the aim of highlighting one of today’s most pressing issues: rapid urban expansion and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change, and politics. The issue of waste management is essential, but remains to be addressed in more depth in this forum which tends to focus on habitat and transport as priorities.

First held in 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya, it has been held every two years since then, all over the world. This forum, initiated by UN-HABITAT, is the leading international conference on urban development, involving all city stakeholders: public, private, civil society, and academic, so that they can share their experiences with the aim of defining common guidelines.

FSWP Participation

Although no physical presence was planned for this 13th meeting of the World Urban Forum, the French Solid Waste Partnership (FSWP) is keen to highlight the crucial link between cities and waste. On the one hand, given that the proportion of the population living in cities continues to grow, urban planning is key to the implementation of functional waste management systems that cover all areas in an inclusive and equitable manner, while also protecting the environment and health. Integrated territorial and urban planning is therefore essential, from the design of the housing itself to a territorial network that manages the flows of recovered materials and energy and guarantees the availability of safe final disposal facilities.

Furthermore, environmentally sound waste management improves the livability of cities by improving air, soil, and water quality. It enhances their attractiveness through healthy public spaces and preserved (peri)urban landscapes. Beyond its impact on health, the environment, and economic activity in the region, sustainable waste management improves citizens’ quality of life and well-being.

So, as cities face growing demographic pressure and increasing climate crises, thinking about resilience, adaptation, and mitigation for sustainable cities of the future can’t happen without thinking about fair, sustainable, and circular waste and resource management.