KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister for Urban Development, Prakash Man Singh, has departed for Cairo, Egypt, to attend the prestigious World Urban Forum. Leading a Nepali delegation, DPM Singh aims to represent Nepal’s interests at the global conference on sustainable urbanization.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, bid farewell to DPM Singh at Tribhuvan International Airport this morning. The forum, which will be attended by high-level officials from over 150 countries, will see participation from ministers related to urban development from various nations. Singh’s attendance underscores Nepal’s continued commitment to addressing urban development challenges, especially in the face of climate change.
DPM Singh is scheduled to address three significant sessions at the forum, highlighting Nepal’s challenges and achievements in habitat development. The World Urban Forum, running from November 4-8, is being convened by
the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) under the theme ‘It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities.’
The World Urban Forum was established in 2001 by the United Nations to tackle the pressing issue of rapid urbanization and its implications on various aspects such as community development, climate change, and policy-making. The inaugural forum took place in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002, and has since been hosted worldwide.
The event in Cairo is expected to draw thousands of participants, including representatives from national, regional, and local governments, academia, the business sector, community leadership, urban planning, and civil society. The Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt is co-organizing WUF12 alongside the United Nations.
Accompanying DPM Singh are his spouse, Srijana Singh, and officials from the Ministry of Urban Development. The delegation is expected to return to Nepal on November 9.