BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) comes at a defining historical crossroads for the global community, heavily driven by the urgent need for structural social responses and political solutions to ongoing conflicts and systemic inequalities, Inti Muñoz Santini, Minister of Housing of Mexico City, told Trend on the sidelines of the WUF13 forum in Baku.
"The current World Urban Forum is exceptionally critical because the world is traversing a decisive moment," Muñoz Santini stated. "We are faced with an absolute necessity for social answers, grassroots solutions, and clear political responses to situations of war and deep-seated inequality. The municipal governments gathered here in Baku have immense work ahead of them. Cities are the primary spaces where humanity resides, encounters one another, and engages in collective thinking."
The minister emphasized that urban centers possess the unique ability to pioneer entirely new development paradigms anchored in equity, human rights, and the collective voice of the public.
"This inclusive model of governance is precisely what we are constructing every single day in Mexico City. We firmly believe that the current global climate demands deep reflection on the necessity for more robust, democratic legal frameworks. We are profoundly convinced that democracy, fundamental freedoms, and civil rights constitute the absolute best path toward building a better world," he concluded.
