Participants will engage in sessions and roundtables to discuss the importance of local strategies and actions to address urbanization challenges and ensure a better quality of life for everyone, including persons with disabilities.

Topics will include enhancing accessibility to housing and public spaces, strengthening inclusive resilience, climate action, financing, adopting inclusive smart city technologies, establishing meaningful and multi-stakeholder partnerships, and promoting mechanisms for participation to inform local actions for inclusion and barrier removal.

The Cairo forum will also address accelerating inclusivity and resilience for all through climate financing, participatory urban actions, and partnerships aimed at including persons with disabilities, ensuring that no one is left behind.

According to UN estimates, over two billion people with disabilities and older persons will reside in urban communities by 2050. They will require inclusive and accessible infrastructure and services to live safe, independent, and dignified lives, fully participating in all aspects of society.

Today, more than one billion people—about 15% of the global population—live with some form of disability. Recent data also indicates that persons with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty compared to those without disabilities, due to social barriers like discrimination, limited access to education and employment, and inadequate inclusion in livelihood support and other social programs.