UN official: WUF13 in Baku to create crucial ecological impacts for region

The 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), hosted by Baku, Azerbaijan, will be the first WUF event in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and this will create significant socio-economic and ecological impacts for the region, Omar Siddique, Head of UN-Habitat's Canada Office, who participated in a high-level diplomatic briefing on WUF13 at the UN headquarters in New York, told Report

The official noted that the forum's program is being prepared jointly with Azerbaijan and the event will be built around solutions that can be implemented at both practical and local levels. He added that the program will be accessible for various stakeholders, including persons with disabilities and local community groups:

"We are preparing the content of the forum together with various partners, from national governments to cities, businesses, foundations and civil society, and are actively working with the host country, the Republic of Azerbaijan. Because cities are built on practical, implementable solutions at the local level, at the township level. It is also important to ensure that the program is accessible to stakeholders - whether persons with disabilities or local community groups. Our work with Azerbaijan is about creating a dynamic program for the forum, which will not only be for the event, but also preparation for actions to be implemented on the global housing crisis after the forum."

Siddique emphasized that the forum will evaluate global urban policy within the framework of both the mid-term review of the New Urban Agenda and the global review of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 11), and topics will be discussed from the perspective of various actors:

"2026 - the year of WUF13 comes at a very strategic moment for the Global Urban Agenda, because there is not only the mid-term review of the 'New Urban Agenda', but also the global review of Sustainable Development Goal 11. This could be the last review until the end of 2030. Up to 65% of the SDG targets should be implemented at the local level or through local entities. Many cities in the world are highly exposed to climate risks while also producing two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions. We are also in a period of great geopolitical fragmentation, and we know that the role of cities is very important because they contribute to 80% of the world's GDP in the region."

He noted that WUF13 will be the first WUF event in the region hosted by Azerbaijan:

"Indeed, WUF13 will be the first WUF event in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and hosted by Azerbaijan, this will create significant socio-economic and ecological impacts for the region."