BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Azerbaijan faces new housing challenges, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, said, Trend reports.
Hajiyev expressed these views during the panel discussion “Housing at the Center of Global Coalitions,” held as part of WUF13.
Furthermore, Hajiyev added that for many years, Azerbaijan had faced war and occupation by a neighboring country. Twenty-three percent of Azerbaijan’s territory was occupied. This led to one of the largest humanitarian crises in Europe since World War II.
Hikmet Hajiyev noted that at that time, Azerbaijan faced the problem of one million refugees and internally displaced persons: “All of them were deprived of their homes, living conditions, and social opportunities.
At that time, Azerbaijan was experiencing serious economic problems and development challenges. Despite this, the government was forced to create shelters for refugees in tent cities. More than three hundred settlements were used to house one million refugees.”
The presidential aide noted that this housing program was implemented in the context of Azerbaijan’s geopolitical situation and post-conflict urban development: “The government sought to provide refugees and internally displaced persons with housing, affordable housing, and essential services. At the same time, internally displaced persons were provided with various state benefits. However, their main demand of the Azerbaijani government was to return to their homes safely and with dignity.”
Given the circumstances at the time, the Azerbaijani government took a unique step and built 300,000 apartments and houses for refugees and internally displaced persons. The goal was to ensure decent living conditions for these people.
After all, in every language, the phrase “my home” has a special meaning. It doesn’t matter if it’s small or simple; for a person, their home is their fortress. Everyone should have a home where they can live safely with their family.
He emphasized that the main desire of internally displaced persons had still been to return to their homeland, but that era is now in the past. Azerbaijan is facing new realities and new housing challenges.
The third day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) is underway in Baku.
On the first day, a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a roundtable of ministers, assemblies of women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban well-being were held. A ceremony for raising the flags of the United Nations and Azerbaijan also took place within the framework of the forum.
The second day of the forum drew attention with the first-ever Leaders Summit. High-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience were held that day. At the same time, the Mexico City pavilion was inaugurated within the framework of WUF13. The pavilion was presented as an important platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
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.
