The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, participated via Zoom in the "Cities of Media and Information Literacy" panel, held as part of the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum in Cairo, Egypt.

This year’s Forum emphasizes the crucial role of local actions in addressing sustainable urban development challenges, such as affordable housing, climate change adaptation, essential public services, and the impact of rising living costs. In this context, Mayor Franković shared Dubrovnik's experiences.

"Education and citizen involvement are key to our city’s future. We are proud that our residents actively participate in decision-making for Dubrovnik’s future," stated Mayor Franković.

Discussing future plans for media and information literacy, he highlighted the transformation of the former TUP factory into a new urban cultural and social hub. This includes a Center for Children, Youth, and Families and the construction of a large new public library, which will provide spaces for these initiatives.

The Forum, themed "It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities," officially opened this week in Cairo, gathering over 37,000 participants from 182 countries, marking it as the largest World Urban Forum session in history.

"In times when misinformation is one of the greatest threats, we educate our citizens to actively engage and contribute to sustainability through practical urban initiatives. Transparency is the foundation of trust, which is why we’ve digitized city systems so that all residents can monitor public spending at any time. Since UNESCO's warning in 2015, Dubrovnik has come a long way. Today, we are among the top cities frequently highlighted as a must-visit destination. It’s a challenging process, but I deeply believe it’s the only path to real success — because only cities with engaged citizens are truly vibrant cities," concluded Mayor Franković.

Alongside Mayor Franković, the UN and UNESCO panel featured Dr. Mariani Yanti, Head of Culture and Tourism in Jambi, Indonesia; Nataļia Vecvagare, International Policy Advisor for the Baltic Countries from Latvia; Marjo Kyllönen, Director of Education for the City of Helsinki, Finland; Dr. Foad Helmy, Planning and Institutional Development Consultant from Egypt’s National Research and Development Center; and Jeff Nyoka, Head of E-Learning Services at the City of Johannesburg Libraries in South Africa.