BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 12. The 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) is scheduled to commence on May 17, 2026, in Baku, marking a record-setting event with approximately 30,000 registered participants from 178 countries, making it one of the largest gatherings in UN-Habitat’s history.
The forum will be held under the slogan "Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities," and comes at the midpoint of the implementation of the 2016 New Urban Agenda (NUA), continuing the work of WUF12 in Cairo and setting directions through 2029.
While UN-Habitat oversees the substantive content, Azerbaijan is responsible for organization and logistics. Final meetings of the Organizing Committee confirmed the readiness of all systems, including protocol and the volunteer corps. Preparations include a volunteer program and the AUC2026 information campaign to attract participants and inform the public.
Participant registration has demonstrated dynamic growth: from 10,000 in January to 23,350 people from 175 countries by the end of April, with numbers approaching 30,000 by the start of the conference.
"It is gratifying that 13.3% of this number are business entities. This is the highest figure in the history of the World Urban Forum," said WUF13 National Coordinator and Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, Anar Guliyev, during an event on "Entrepreneurship Development is a Strong Economy" in Baku.
The WUF13 program includes a Ministerial Meeting, strategic dialogues on the housing crisis and climate, over 370 partner events, the Urban Expo, and the Practices Hub, where practical solutions and innovations will be showcased.
One of the key points of the forum will be Azerbaijan's experience in the reconstruction of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. Projects in Zangilan and other liberated territories will be presented as models of post-conflict urban revival. The regional context will be enriched by ambitious mega-projects from neighboring countries: Turkmenistan’s Arkadag Smart City, Kazakhstan’s Alatau City, and Uzbekistan’s large-scale New Tashkent. China, in turn, plans to showcase the Xiongan district - a $140 billion project aiming to become a benchmark for low-carbon development.
Additionally, a WUF13 festival is taking place across Azerbaijani cities to inform the public about this important event.
As the forum approaches, its significance for the global community becomes increasingly evident. WUF13 focuses on pressing issues of housing, urbanization, and climate challenges, serving as a platform for developing practical solutions.
The potential outcomes of the forum are as follows: most likely, the “Baku Call to Action” will receive strong political and financial support, giving a boost to affordable housing construction by 2030. In a more practical scenario, the focus will shift to technology exchange and strengthening the role of private capital in local sustainability projects.
In any case, the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku will demonstrate the world’s readiness to move from conceptual discussions to actual construction of safe and sustainable cities of the future.
