For the first time in Egypt, the widest range of urban stakeholders from different backgrounds and mandates were given the opportunity to share ideas, experience, knowledge and expertise about how to promote a better urban development. The EUF was an important milestone in the preparation of the global conference, Habitat III, and the dialogue on the post 2015 Agenda. The EUF was composed of twenty-seven sessions.

There were twenty-one thematic sessions, divided into five themes with four sessions per theme, and an extra session on the topic of information technologies. The five themes were: (i) urban planning; (ii) urban governance; (iii) urban housing; (iv) urban service delivery; and (v) urban economy.