Expo 2020 Dubai: Women’s World Majlis

By 2050, more than 70 per cent of the world’s population is forecast to live in cities, with three billion estimated to dwell in informal settlements. Urban and Rural Development Week, running from 31 October until 6 November and held in association with Expo 2020’s Infrastructure Digitalisation Partner Siemens, UN-Habitat and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), explores our communities as building blocks of prosperity and how we can make our future habitats sustainable.

Examining how cities are built and who they serve, it spotlights District 2020 – the physical legacy of Expo 2020 and the blueprint for a people-centric smart city of the future. Rural communities will also be brought into focus, with an emphasis on harnessing local knowledge and innovation and ensuring access to inclusive infrastructure and services – from transport and housing, to clean energy access and green public spaces – to ensure no one is left behind.

Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Whether in cities or rural areas, formal or informal settlements, access to safe and affordable living conditions and services is a fundamental right, and integral to providing an equal playing field for people around the world to advance and thrive.

At a time when most cities are designed by men, the Women’s World Majlis, held in collaboration with Slovenia on 1 November, welcomed speakers including circular economy expert Ladeja Godina Košir, Founder and Executive Director, Circular Change, and Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia and explored how women can and should be at the core of designing, building and benefitting from sustainable and resilient habitats.

• How different would cities look like if women designed them?

• How do we ensure rural women are not left out in the wave of urbanization?

• What needs to be done for women to have equal access to resources and seats at the decision-making table in both urban and rural development?

Urban and Rural Development Week is the third of 10 Theme Weeks taking place throughout Expo as part of the Programme for People and Planet, in an exchange of inspiring new perspectives that tackle the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time, including climate, connectivity, the future of human health and more.

We kindly invite you to watch the entire session here.