UN-Habitat rep: Cities of future to be built together with active youth

Livable cities of the future will be built together with active youth, civil society, and communities, Maleyka Taghizada, Chief Advisor at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), said at the 2nd NGO Solidarity Forum of the Organization of Turkic States in Baku, Report informs.

She noted that the forum will mark the beginning of new collaborations and will bring us closer to stronger regional partnerships on the path to WUF13.

"Tomorrow, Baku will host the World Urban Forum-one of the largest global platforms on the future of cities. This process is not just preparation for the event, but an opportunity for long-term urban transformation," Taghizada added.

According to her, this is precisely why UN-Habitat, together with its partners, launched the Azerbaijan Urban Campaign, one of the main goals of which is to place youth at the center of the urban agenda: "Youth are becoming not just participants, but partners, putting forward initiatives, organizing events, and proposing solutions."

Taghizada emphasized that youth cooperation across the Turkic world can play an important role in urban development, as the cities face very similar challenges: "These include climate challenges, urban inequality, housing affordability, youth employment, the quality of public spaces, and inclusiveness. Regional cooperation, the exchange of experiences, and joint youth initiatives hold great potential for addressing these issues. We believe that livable cities of the future will be built not only by states, but also in partnership with active youth, civil society, and local communities."