BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 16. Chairman of Azerbaijan's State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture and National Coordinator of the 13th World Urbanization Forum (WUF13), Anar Guliyev called on global partners to actively participate in WUF13, the committee statement says, Trend reports.
He made the invitation during a briefing held at the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva on January 15, featuring about 100 representatives of accredited diplomatic missions and dedicated to WUF13.
The briefing focused on boosting cooperation between the diplomatic corps, the Government of Azerbaijan, and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), as well as promoting international support for WUF13 and its expected outcomes.
In his speech, Guliyev highlighted that for the first time in the history of the World Urban Forum, a Leaders' Summit will be held. He noted that this initiative reflects the position that the development of housing and urban development requires leadership at the highest political level.
Speaking at the briefing, UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach underlined that WUF13 is an important global platform for assessing the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), and is of strategic importance in determining global urban priorities for the next decade.
The briefing concluded with emphasizing the importance of broad international participation in WUF13.
The 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) is a premier global conference on sustainable urbanization, organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and co-hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from May 17 through 22, 2026.
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