Baku urban forum outcomes presented at UN high-level meeting

The outcomes of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), held in Baku, were presented at the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting on the midterm review of the New Urban Agenda, which took place in New York on July 16-17.

According to Azerbaijan's State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, the Azerbaijani delegation focused on promoting the international outcomes of WUF13, hosted in Baku in May this year.

The committee noted that the forum, which brought together more than 58,000 participants from 176 countries, became one of the world's largest international platforms dedicated to sustainable urbanization. The forum's final documents, the Baku Call to Action and the Chair's Summary, along with other initiatives, were presented at the United Nations and contributed to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

Azerbaijan also showcased the reconstruction of Karabakh and East Zangazur as an example of a modern post-conflict recovery model. Over the past six years, facilities with a total area of 3 million square meters have been commissioned in the region, while housing has been built for 16,000 families. Life has returned to 10 cities, three settlements, and 30 villages, where more than 90,000 people now live, work, and study.

A key outcome of the visit was the signing of a cooperation agreement between Azerbaijan's State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

During the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation also met with UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach, representatives of Poland, and Brazil's Minister of Cities Antonio Vladimir Moura Lima. The sides discussed expanding cooperation in sustainable urban development, implementing joint projects, and exchanging experience in territorial planning.