BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. As part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), held in Baku, the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held a high-level dialogue on urban issues, Trend reports.
Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, noted in his speech that 65% of Azerbaijan’s cities are already governed by 20-year master plans:
“The approval process is underway for 10 of the 79 cities. Detailed planning has been carried out for 2,230 settlements. The Baku master plan through 2040 envisions a polycentric, people-centered, environmentally responsible development model. Here, housing, jobs, services, and public spaces are brought closer together. In housing policy, we view housing not as a commodity, but as the foundation of social stability and inclusive development,” Guliyev added.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Construction of Kazakhstan, Rakhymzhan Isakulov, emphasized that a systematic and long-term approach to urban planning is particularly important in the context of accelerating urbanization, climate change, and growing demands for quality public governance.
Hasan Suver, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye, spoke about safer, more sustainable, and people-centered reconstruction of cities affected by natural disasters. He noted that Türkiye is working on an international fund called the “Sustainable Cities Fund” to strengthen the financial foundation of the “Sustainable Cities Declaration” in this context.
Erfan Ali, Director of the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, stated that the UN-Habitat Regional Roadmap for Eastern Europe and Central Asia has translated these priorities into practical action areas: “These areas include effective urban governance, strengthening local institutions, affordable housing, basic services, social integration, climate resilience, sustainable urban infrastructure, and post-crisis recovery.”
In his remarks, Secretary-General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev stated that climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport must be at the center of future regional initiatives:
“This vision is already becoming a reality in our region. For example, ‘smart city’ and ‘smart village’ projects are being implemented in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur; in Kazakhstan, there is a high-tech model for the development of the city of Alatau; and in Kyrgyzstan, there are digital monitoring systems for sustainable mountain urbanism. Today, we see these initiatives on display in the pavilions of member states. With the memorandum signed today, we are establishing a formal framework for technical cooperation,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the third day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) was held 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.
