BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 15. An international conference on “Shaping Human Capital for Sustainable and Resilient Urban Development” took place in Baku, Trend reports.
The conference is organized jointly by the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Baku State University as part of “Baku Urban Week.”
During the panel sessions, participants discussed topics including education, research, and capacity building for a sustainable urban future, inclusive and resilient cities, and new approaches to urban development.
Speaking at the event, Elchin Babayev, rector of Baku State University said that Azerbaijan is shaping a new model of urban development.
"We are witnessing a transformation in which cities are not only being rebuilt but also reimagined. From the reconstruction of territories liberated from occupation to the implementation of ‘smart city’ and ‘smart village’ concepts, Azerbaijan is shaping a new model of urban development. This progress gives us not only confidence but also responsibility," he said.
Babayev noted that today we must ask ourselves the key question: are current education and training systems preparing people capable of sustaining this transformation over the next 20, 30, and even 50 years?
"Cities fail not because of a lack of plans, but because of a lack of capacity—when urban planners do not understand climate risks, when economies ignore spatial inequality, and when engineers create systems that citizens cannot use. They fail when data exists but no one knows how to interpret it," the rector emphasized.
According to him, it is important today to move from discussions to practical action.
“We must develop interdisciplinary programs in the field of urban studies,” Babayev said.
Igor Garafulić, Acting Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Azerbaijan said that by hosting the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) amid global conflicts.
He made the remark during the international conference “Shaping Human Capital for Sustainable and Resilient Urban Development" in Baku.
“32,000 people have already registered for WUF13. The forum begins on Sunday and serves as a space for discussion. At a time when conflicts are erupting around the world, the fact that Azerbaijan is providing a platform to discuss topics such as housing, accessibility, and urban planning sets a very good example for the whole world,” he said.
Garafulić noted that he recently visited Karabakh with the diplomatic corps.
“It is very impressive how thoroughly everything has been thought through and the high quality of the reconstruction work,” he emphasized.
Idris Isayev, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Science and Education mentioned that urban development is a social, economic, environmental, and humanitarian issue.
"Today, the world is facing large-scale processes and global challenges. Ongoing urbanization and the massive influx of people into cities, on the one hand, contribute to urban development, but on the other, create numerous problems and challenges.
We face issues such as overpopulation, transportation difficulties, environmental threats, housing problems, infrastructure-related risks, and many other challenges on a daily basis. All of this once again underscores the relevance of this topic. “Urban development is not just a matter of construction and architecture. It is also a social, economic, environmental, and humanitarian issue,” he said.
Isayev noted that the level of urban development is not measured by the number of buildings constructed or the length of streets. Above all, it is determined by people’s quality of life, level of education, intellectual potential, health status, and the general level of well-being of the population. And it is clear that people are at the center of all these processes.
“The main criterion here is creating a comfortable, safe, inclusive, and high-quality living environment for people,” he noted.
Anna Soave, Head of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Azerbaijan announced that UN-Habitat is set to begin collaboration on the design of two villages in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, marking a new phase in the organization's regional involvement.
She noted that work is currently underway on the development of a national urban policy.
"In the near future, in partnership with two other UN agencies - UNEP and IOM - we will implement a project in Azerbaijan aimed at climate change adaptation, funded by the Adaptation Fund," Soave said. She added that the organization looks forward to discussing ways to strengthen technical assistance with national institutions, particularly for local authorities.
Reflecting on the agency's growth, Soave reminded participants that UN-Habitat’s presence in Azerbaijan is relatively recent.
"We opened an office here almost three years ago. We were the last agency to be established here and the first UN-Habitat office in the South Caucasus and Central Asia region," she noted.
Soave emphasized that the organization takes great pride in the interest shown by the country's leadership in establishing their presence and initiating operations in the region.
