Social media to allow anyone to

contribute and share thoughts, questions and solutions

to urban poverty challenges.

GENEVA/Dublin –18th February 2013:

Join The ConversationAnyone, anywhere, with Internet access is invited to participate in this year’s bi-annual Forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) in Dublin, Ireland this Wednesday and Thursday, 20 and 21 February. The WACAP Forum is a global conference organized to discuss the growing problem of urban poverty. This is the first time since the Alliance was established in 1997 that those affected by urban challenges – the citizens – are able to take part in the discussions, submit questions, offer solutions and follow the conference online.

“This year, the 8th Forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty in Dublin  will be more engaging than ever - anyone with Internet, email access, a Twitter or Facebook account will be able contribute and share his or her thoughts, questions and solutions to urban poverty challenges,” said Adam Rogers, WACAP Coordinator at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a co-host of the event along with the Dublin City Council in partnership with UN Women, UNICEF and the UN Institute for Training and Research. “We are inviting people from all over the world to connect with participants of the Forum through social media and discuss how to tackle urban poverty issues. And we’re all answering the same big question: How can we make cities smart, safe and sustainable?”

By making the event truly interactive, the event organizers hope to crowdsource – i.e. tap into the experiences and expertise of ordinary people everywhere – ideas and examples for how to best make cities smart, safe and sustainable. More than 500 high level delegates, including mayors, municipal civil servants, innovators at the forefront of developing smart technologies, along with representatives from civil society, women's organizations, and NGOs specialized in poverty reduction, safety, prevention and access to services are expected to attend the conference.

Take action & join the global conversation

Follow the live tweets on @undplive | #WACAP

Comment & share our Facebook updates on www.facebook.com/wacapnetwork

Attend the 8th Forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty     (WACAP) from February 20-21 as participant

Register with the Digital Media Lounge if you are blogger (send your Name, email address, blog URL to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." mce_' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy9518 + '\'>'+addy_text9518+'<\/a>'; //--> )

Send your questions or comments on how to make cities smarter, safer and more sustainable to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." mce_' + path + '\'' + prefix + ':' + addy64903 + '\'>'+addy_text64903+'<\/a>'; //--> and we will forward a selection to our         speakers

Visit the Dublin 2013 Forum website for more information about the event: http://www.dublin2013.ie/

PovertyVisit the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) site to get more information on the Alliance: http://wacapnetwork.org/

For more information on the Summit, and to register to attend, visit the website www.wacapnetwork.org

Press Release From The UN’s Global Development Network (UNDP)

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