BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Our own experience with the transformation of Baku and the reconstruction of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur has shown us that urban planning and housing policy are not merely technical responsibilities, but strategic tools for resilience, stability, and long-term development, Anar Guliyev, National Coordinator of WUF13 and Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture of Azerbaijan, said, Trend reports.
He made the remark during the closing session of the "Ministerial Meeting on the New Urban Agenda (NUA)" held within the framework of WUF13 in Baku.
According to the national coordinator, these are the lessons derived from the country's national experience.
"WUF13 will shape an important legacy extending far beyond the forum itself. Alongside numerous initiatives and policy outcomes, operational excellence in terms of the efficient organization of the World Urban Forum is also one of the key directions," Guliyev said.
He noted that, taking into account the successful preparations for hosting WUF13 in Baku, Azerbaijan sees the importance of preserving and sharing this experience with future host countries.
"Based on the Baku standards developed by the Azerbaijan Accreditation Company for WUF13, we plan to cooperate with UN-Habitat to prepare an informative operational guide for the organization of future World Urban Forums. Yesterday, we signed a letter of intent with UN-Habitat. This document further upgrades the level of our partnership and reflects a shared commitment to supporting not only the success of WUF13 but also the long-term development of future World Urban Forums," Guliyev concluded.
