04/26/2022

The World Cities Forum in Katowice will be of great importance for the promotion of Poland in the international arena and for its socio-economic development – judging by the participants of one of the panels at the European Economic Congress. This forum is one of the largest conferences under the auspices of the United Nations on urban policy and urban development.

Vice President of Pekao Bank and former minister of investment and development Jerzy Kwieciński said that Poland, when submitting an application for the possibility of hosting the World Cities Forum, chose Katowice as host for various reasons. He explained that it was about, among other things, “showing good social and economic transformation”, and the entire Katowice agglomeration “is a very interesting example for the world”.

“An additional element, which we decided may be important for international organizations, is also the fact that this type of event has never occurred in this part of the world” – stressed Jerzy Kwieciński.

The Deputy Minister of Finance and Regional Policy, Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak, said that he did not want the forum to be a “five day conference, after which everyone will leave with the task already fulfilled” and that “we will continue to do what we are doing” .

“We want the legacy of the World Cities Forum to remain, namely, a summary of knowledge about how to shape urban spaces for each of us” – he said. Deputy Minister of Finance and Regional Policy Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak

He added that when developing solutions, one must take into account, among other things, the needs of people with disabilities and seniors.

The World Cities Forum will be held June 26-30 in Katowice. The event, which is organized by the UN agency – UN-Habitat, takes place every two years. The slogan of this year’s forum is “We are changing our city for a better future”. Participants will cover topics such as: a green future of cities, innovation and technology, planning and management, and the future of urban economy and finance.

Due to the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the massive destruction of Ukrainian cities, at the request of Poland, the topic of the reconstruction of cities after the war will be included in the program.

/iar/mm/