The World Urban Forum was established in 2001 by the United Nations to address one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies. Convened by UN-Habitat, the Forum is a high level, open and inclusive platform for addressing the challenges of sustainable urbanization. The Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF 10) will be held from 8-13 February 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

More than half of the world's people live in cities today. By 2050, nearly seven in ten people will be living in cities. Cities account for more than 70 per cent of global carbon emissions and 60 to 80 per cent of energy consumption. Rapid urbanization has created additional challenges such as social inequality, traffic congestion and water contamination and its associated health issues. ITU says governments and municipalities can use information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other technologies to build smarter and more sustainable cities for their citizens.