Baku Initiative Group to hold int'l conference within WUF13 in Baku

An international conference on the theme "The Role of Youth in Decolonizing Urbanization" will be held today as part of the 13th Session of the United Nations World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, according to Report.

The conference will be remembered as the first international event of the Global South Youth Platform, created by youth from various countries on the initiative of the BIG.

For the first time, the UN Youth Office will also be represented with its delegates at the conference. The event will be attended by representatives from a total of 22 countries, including members of the Global South Youth Platform representing current and former colonies – young researchers, specialists in international law, healthcare experts, representatives of pro-independence political parties and organizations, leaders of youth organizations, and university students.

At the event, discussions will be held on building stronger and more coordinated mechanisms to combat the ongoing effects of colonialism and neocolonialism among youth from various regions, networking of the Global South Youth Platform, and transforming international solidarity into real and effective platforms.

At the same time, an exchange of views will take place on the issues of higher-level organization of youth, bringing systematic discrimination and human rights violations faced by minorities to the center of the international agenda, and advancing concrete, result-oriented international initiatives against these problems.

Urbanization processes in territories under colonial and neocolonial governance are accompanied by serious structural problems, social inequality, and infrastructure deficiencies. In Kanaky (New Caledonia), the migration policy implemented by France has caused a change in the demographic balance, reducing the indigenous Kanak population to a minority status, resulting in their displacement from urban centers to peripheral areas.

In parallel, the economic dominance of the European-origin population relocated to the island has further deepened socio-economic inequality. In Bonaire, the continuing effects of Dutch colonial policy, combined with increasing tourism and foreign investment pressures, cause sharp price increases in the housing market.

This process seriously limits affordable housing opportunities for the local population, leading to further deepening of social inequality. In Mayotte, more than 90% of the infrastructure was destroyed as a result of Cyclone Chido, with over 100,000 people left homeless and displaced. Against the backdrop of a large-scale humanitarian disaster, the delayed and indifferent response of the French authorities to the disaster further deepened the scale of the crisis.

Additionally, on May 19 at 11:00 AM (GMT+4), within the framework of WUF13, an event dedicated to the theme Injustices Created by Colonial Governance and the Housing Crisis will also be organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) at Pavilion A39. Within the framework of the event, conference participants will discuss the socio-economic impacts of colonial and neocolonial governance, structural inequalities arising in urbanization processes, existing challenges in housing provision, as well as the effects of these problems on the local population.