Mexico City wins bid to host World Urban Forum in 2028

Nairobi and Mexico City, 23 March 2026 — Mexico City, the capital of the United Mexican States, will host the fourteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF14) in 2028.

The announcement was made by Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Ms. Clara Brugada Molina, Chief of Mexico City Government, in the presence of Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, and Edna Vega Rangel, Secretary of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development of Mexico, during an event organized by the Government of the United Mexican States and the Government of Mexico City on 23 March in Mexico City.

Anacláudia Rossbach, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat said: “I extend my sincere congratulations to the Government of Mexico and the Government of Mexico City for this important achievement, which reflects their leadership, forward-looking vision, and steadfast commitment to advancing inclusive, sustainable and resilient urban development.” 

“The return of the Forum to Latin America comes at a critical moment. While the region faces complex and urgent urban challenges, it also offers a wealth of knowledge, innovation and practical solutions that can inform and inspire global action in advancing the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities,” Rossbach added.

Mexico City’s bid was selected based on its organizational capacity that was presented in the bidding documents, its political commitment, infrastructure readiness, and its clear vision to leverage the Forum as a platform for advancing urban transformation.

Clara Brugada Molina, Chief of the Government of Mexico City, expressed gratitude and appreciation for the selection of Mexico City as the host city of WUF14. She underlined that WUF14 represents a key opportunity to share and strengthen Mexico City’s experience in promoting a rights-based, inclusive, democratic and sustainable urban development model. 

“Mexico City, the Capital of Transformation, will bring the world together to build a new urban vision: a city that cares for its people, protects the planet, deepens democracy, and upholds the full realization of human rights for all,” Molina said.

Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, highlighted that the 2028 forum will be a great success due to the strong regional and global interest in the country’s capital. He noted that Mexico City stands as a major reference point – not only for how it has been possible to transform the city, despite the many challenges that lie ahead, into one that is increasingly humane, inclusive, resilient, and better organized, but also for its broad social participation and close collaboration with the academic sector, civil society and different levels of government.

“This is work that has required meticulous planning, a reorganization of key factors, and an enormous capacity for convening and coordination. And that is the leadership that UN-Habitat today recognizes in Mexico City, led by our Head of Government, Clara Brugada,” he stated.

The WUF14 Selection Committee, composed of senior management from UN-Habitat and senior representatives of the United Nations system, provided recommendations to the Executive Director of UN-Habitat for selection.

The final decision was informed by a comprehensive evaluation process, including:

1. Virtual meetings with candidate cities and technical assessments of the proposed venue and logistical arrangements.
2. Technical visits undertaken by UN-Habitat teams.
3. Security assessments conducted by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS).
4. Review and evaluation of the submitted bids by the Selection Committee.

Negotiations on the formal agreements to host the event will begin shortly between UN-Habitat and the host authorities.

The World Urban Forum (WUF), a non-legislative technical forum established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001, has been convened by UN-Habitat since 2002. It is widely recognized as the premier global platform for dialogue among policymakers, local government leaders, non-governmental organizations and experts on sustainable urban development and human settlements. The Forum is also recognized in the New Urban Agenda as a key platform for reporting on progress in its implementation, bringing together contributions from multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia.

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