Between February 8 and 13, Abu Dhabi hosted the Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF10), four years after the approval of the New Urban Agenda during Habitat III, the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, held in Quito, Ecuador, in 2016.

In all editions, the host cities must choose a theme to guide the debates, and in this edition the theme chosen was Cities of Opportunities: connecting culture and innovation.

During WUF10, government representatives, academics, technicians and civil society had the opportunity to debate the future of cities, considering the issues of culture, creativity and innovation.

The World Urban Forum is one of the largest conferences organized by a United Nations agency and is a platform for discussions, exchanges and learning about sustainable urbanization, enabling better and greater cooperation among stakeholders.

Brazil was represented by members of the federal, state and municipal governments, representatives of civil society, universities and other Brazilian public and private institutions related to urban issues.

During the Forum, the Brazilian delegation had the opportunity to present successful projects that have been or are being implemented with the support of UN-Habitat such as the project Vida Nova, in Grotas, of the government of Alagoas; the Legal City project, of the Government of São Paulo; and the engagement of civil society in the elaboration of the Sustainable Development Plan, of the City of Rio de Janeiro.

In addition to the projects presented, the City of Rio de Janeiro's International Relations Advisor, Ms. Natalye Gembatiuk, had the opportunity to represent Mayor Marcelo Crivella at the launch of the network of cities that hosted previous editions of the Forum, the WUF Alumni Network. During the launch she highlighted the partnership of many years between Rio de Janeiro and the UN agency: "It is important to note that the relationship between the City of Rio de Janeiro and the UN-Habitat started long before the city hosted a session of the Forum. We have been honored to host a UN-Habitat regional office since 1996, and we have worked together over the years on several projects that have helped develop better public policies and thus develop a better city for our citizens".

Besides highlighting the partnership established, she also had the opportunity to publicize the international competition that will be held this year with the support of the agency within the Rio World Capital of Architecture: "I would like to highlight that UN-Habitat supports the Tide City International Ideas Competition that will award projects with innovative solutions in architecture and urban design aimed at integrating the slums of Complexo da Maré, in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro, to its surroundings, taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals (SDOs)".

Also representing Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Daniel Mancebo, General Coordinator of the Planning Office of the Sub-Secretariat for Planning and Monitoring Results (Subpar), presented the engagement of the population in the creation of the city's Sustainable Development Plan through the Participa.Rio platform.