The World Urban Forum (WUF) is an international conference sponsored by UN-HABITAT. It is held every other year to encourage the sharing of experience and knowledge about issues of urban sustainability. WUF does not follow formal rules of procedure that usually govern official UN meetings. What makes WUF unique is that discussions are kept informal to encourage dialogue among government leaders, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, grassroots movements, urban professionals, youth and the private sector.

In June 2006, Canada will host the third session of the World Urban Forum (WUF3) in Vancouver. More than 8,000 people from over 150 countries are expected to attend. WUF3 will mark the 30th anniversary of the first UN conference on human settlements, which was also held in Vancouver and led to the creation of UN-HABITAT. For five days participants at WUF3 will identify issues affecting cities and share lessons, best practices and policies. Participants will return home after WUF3 with ideas for action to improve the quality of life in their communities and cities.

Reports and recommendations from the World Urban Forum will be submitted by the Executive Director to the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT for consideration and appropriate action. Previous World Urban Forums were held in Nairobi in 2002 and Barcelona in 2004.