BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. "The Women's Roundtable" is being held as part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), Trend reports.
Building on the Beijing+30 Action Agenda and the New Urban Agenda, the WUF13 roundtable on gender equality and women's empowerment will provide an action-oriented platform for advancing the right to decent housing for women and girls in all their diversity.
During this two-hour session, a multi-stakeholder panel will present recommendations and best practices for policymakers, urban development professionals, and human rights advocates; strengthen participants' capacity to integrate gender-transformative approaches into housing policies at the national level; and contribute to shaping the agenda for women's leadership in housing and land management. These proposals will be included in the WUF13 outcome document, which will provide a foundation for future continuity and action.
Like all stakeholder-driven WUF13 sessions, this roundtable is being developed through a participatory process led by experts in women's access to housing and gender equality to ensure representativeness and diversity.
Today marks the final day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).
The first day included a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, assemblies for women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban prosperity. An official ceremony marking the raising of the UN and Azerbaijani flags also took place.
The second day stood out for the inaugural Leaders' Summit, featuring high-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience. Concurrently, the opening of the Mexico City pavilion took place, serving as a significant platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
The third day of WUF13 featured a comprehensive program of events covering the global housing crisis, the formation of safe and inclusive cities, climate resilience, artificial intelligence and urban governance, green urbanization, social equity, and sustainable transport.
One of the highlights of the third day was the signing of a sister-city memorandum between the Azerbaijani city of Shusha and the Turkish city of Trabzon.
The fourth day of WUF13 featured a broad program of events dedicated to urbanization, climate change, inclusive urban development, housing policy, and sustainable governance.
The fifth day of WUF13 continued discussions on the global housing crisis, the creation of safe and inclusive cities, climate resilience, the use of artificial intelligence in urban management, green urbanization, and social equality.
One of the important events of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Cities Forum, held on the fourth day, was the announcement of Almaty’s official accession to the “Declaration of Intent on the Establishment of the SPECA Smart Climate-Resilient Cities Forum.”
Also, for the first time in WUF history and at Azerbaijan’s initiative, the “WUF13 NGO Forum: Global Partnership and Decision-Making” was held.
WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities,” the forum brings together governments, international organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
