The most important storyline of Vancouver 2006 was “now is the time for action!”

As Assistant Director-General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Pierre Sané remarked at the closing WUF3 session, “There is no closure to this Forum.” He urged participants to go back home and turn WUF3 global commitments into local action.

Sané's words were echoed by the Commissioner General of WUF3, CharlesKelly, who described WUF3 participants as “a multitude of people sharing how to deal with these very difficult problems, and how to deal with them in a set of very practical ways. So it isn't one action, it's thousands upon thousands of actions. It is little actions and big actions but the important thing is the level of engagement and the knowledge that needs to be harnessed here.”

Now indeed is the time for action.

Action by governments. In the closing of the Mayors' Roundtable, co-chair Smangaliso Mkhatshwa of South Africa remarked that the Millennium Development Goals are “doable” and the mayors should return to their cities, take action, and report back at WUF4 on the implementation of their projects.

Action by the grassroots. Sandy Schilen of the Huairo Commission said, “You've heard what it means for a movement to grow handshake by handshake and meeting by meeting. This is not a movement that grows by brochures. It spreads mother by mother.”

Action by all, knowing what must be done. “The challenges of urbanization are great but so too are the opportunities,” noted one WUF3 participant. “If half the urban infrastructure that will exist in 2050 must be built in the next 45 years, the opportunity to design, construct, operate, and maintain new cities better than old ones is exciting and challenging.”

On June 23, 2006, as WUF3 drew to a close, 10,000 participants were challenged, on return to their homes and communities, to implement one concrete action to support sustainable urban development. If even a fraction of these get off the ground, it is a step forward.

As the next WUF host in 2008, China will highlight its experience in dealing with urbanization, under the theme of “ Harmonious Cities.” Wang Guangtao, China's Minister of Construction, and Lu Bing, Deputy Mayor of Nanjing, extended an invitation to WUF3 participants to come to Nanjing in two years to once again share experiences and best practices for managing rapid urbanization and building a better urban future for all.