BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. The fourth day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), ongoing in Baku, has commenced, TurkicWorld reports.
Jointly organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Government of Azerbaijan, today's program focuses on urbanization, climate change, inclusive urban development, housing policy, and sustainable governance.
The schedule for the fourth day features dialogues, special sessions, and roundtables on topics including "Transformation of Informal Settlements and Slums," "The Climate-Housing Nexus," "Voices from Cities: SPECA Cities Forum," "Azerbaijan's Housing Experience," "Cities as a Playground," "Rethinking Cultural Heritage and Inclusive Urban Regeneration," "Clean Air," "Persons with Disabilities," "Parliamentarians," "Developing Waste Management in Line with the Circular Economy," and "Developing Urban Climate Heritage."
Forum participants will emphasize the importance of developing urbanization processes based on the principles of social inclusivity, the green economy, and climate resilience. The sessions will also feature extensive discussions on the role of innovative solutions, clean energy, sustainable transport, and digital technologies in the future development of cities.
The third day of WUF13 also stood out for its comprehensive program of events. Discussions on that day centered around the global housing crisis, the formation of safe and inclusive cities, climate resilience, artificial intelligence and urban governance, green urbanization, social equity, and sustainable transport.
One of the most notable events on the third day was the signing of a memorandum on establishing sister-city relations between Shusha (Azerbaijan) and Trabzon (Türkiye). Aydın Karimov, the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Shusha district, and Ahmet Metin Genç signed the document. The memorandum envisages the expansion of cooperation between the two cities in urban planning, culture, tourism, and local government.
The first two days of the forum also featured high-level events and discussions.
On the first day, a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a roundtable of ministers, assemblies of women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban well-being were held. A ceremony for raising the flags of the United Nations and Azerbaijan also took place within the framework of the forum.
The second day of the forum drew attention with the first-ever Leaders Summit. High-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience were held that day. At the same time, the Mexico City pavilion was inaugurated within the framework of WUF13. The pavilion was presented as an important platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held under the theme "Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities," the forum brings together governments, international organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
