BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Participation of young people at the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) is opening new opportunities for them and inspiring career choices in the field of urban planning, Samer Bagaeen, Vice President of the UK Royal Town Planning Institute, said, Trend reports.
Bagaeen made the remarks during his speech organized at the “White City” pavilion at WUF13 in Baku.
"Seeing so many young people interested in healthy urban environments is a huge boost for our industry. In some parts of the Middle East and Europe, youth do not always see the construction and urban planning sector as a career path. Participation in the forum opens new opportunities and inspires them to pursue a profession in this field," Bagaeen said.
He added that engaging young people today can shape the future professionals who will work in urban development over the next 10–20 years: "I believe one of our main goals is to attract young people, and Azerbaijan has done an excellent job engaging them in urban planning and city development processes. Hopefully, this will translate into a growing number of specialists choosing careers in this area."
Bagaeen emphasized that such initiatives contribute to the long-term development of cities and the creation of sustainable and comfortable urban environments for future generations.
In the mean time 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.
