Christian Mensah: Azerbaijan plays important role in promoting inclusivity

Azerbaijan today plays a vital role in advancing inclusive dialogue and multilateral cooperation, Christian Mensah, former secretary of the governing bodies and head of intergovernmental affairs at UN-Habitat from Ghana, said at the General Assembly of the Global South NGO Platform, Report informs.

He noted that hosting COP29 in Baku in 2024 underscored Azerbaijan's growing role as a hub for bringing together diverse actors for inclusive dialogue.

"Peace and development stem from sustainable human development. Large-scale projects are being implemented in Azerbaijan every day. This is a great success for the country," he noted.

Mensah emphasized that Azerbaijan's leadership in promoting multilateralism, including during its presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement and at COP29, has created a solid foundation for initiatives such as the Global South NGO Network.

He also stated that the creation of a platform uniting representatives of countries from the Global South is particularly important at the upcoming 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.

He stated that such a platform responds to the growing need for a more coordinated and representative civil society voice in the world's most rapidly urbanizing regions.

Mensah noted the importance of civil society participation in shaping the global urban development agenda and emphasized that NGOs play a key role in ensuring inclusive governance.

He added that Azerbaijan is well-positioned for the further institutionalization and long-term development of the platform as a bridge between local structures and global mechanisms.