BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The success of sustainable urban development will depend not only on infrastructure and investment, but also on participation, trust, solidarity, and cooperation. Farid Gayibov made the remarks during the “Children and Youth Roundtable” event held within the framework of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Trend reports.
In his view, young people are ready to contribute ideas, innovation, and leadership. “Our shared responsibility is to ensure that their participation is not symbolic but meaningful, not temporary but institutionalized, and not limited to consultation, but fully integrated into urban governance and decision-making processes,” he said.
Gayibov emphasized that Azerbaijan is committed to advancing international cooperation in promoting inclusive urban development, strengthening youth participation, and building sustainable cities and communities.
“We firmly believe that empowering young people today is one of the strongest investments in a more sustainable, peaceful, and resilient future,” he said, adding that he wished success to the “Children and Youth Roundtable” and expressed confidence that it would produce productive discussions.
Today marks the fifth day of WUF13 in Baku.
The first day included a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, assemblies for women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban prosperity. An official ceremony marking the raising of the UN and Azerbaijani flags also took place.
The second day stood out for the inaugural Leaders' Summit, featuring high-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience. Concurrently, the opening of the Mexico City pavilion took place, serving as a significant platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
The third day of WUF13 featured a comprehensive program of events covering the global housing crisis, the formation of safe and inclusive cities, climate resilience, artificial intelligence and urban governance, green urbanization, social equity, and sustainable transport.
One of the highlights of the third day was the signing of a sister-city memorandum between the Azerbaijani city of Shusha and the Turkish city of Trabzon.
The fourth day of WUF13 featured a broad program of events dedicated to urbanization, climate change, inclusive urban development, housing policy, and sustainable governance.
One of the important events of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Cities Forum, held on the fourth day, was the announcement of Almaty’s official accession to the “Declaration of Intent on the Establishment of the SPECA Smart Climate-Resilient Cities Forum.”
Also, for the first time in WUF history and at Azerbaijan’s initiative, the “WUF13 NGO Forum: Global Partnership and Decision-Making” was held.
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.
