BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 26. The 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), to be held in Baku in 2026, will mark a significant milestone in the global urban development agenda, Media Relations Manager for the WUF13 Operational Company, Eldar Rasulov, told reporters during their visit to the company's headquarters, Trend reports.
He emphasized that the session will serve as a pivotal international convergence, facilitating a comprehensive discourse on sustainable urban development, fostering knowledge transfer, and disseminating exemplary methodologies.
"The forum will be held for the first time in the Caspian and the South Caucasus regions. About 10,000 international delegates are expected, with the total number of participants reaching around 30,000 people. Unlike previous WUF forums, this event will involve a large number of heads of state and government. The forum will organize 40 main sessions and 350 partner events. Key forum events will be provided with simultaneous translation into eight languages, including sign language," said Rasulov.
According to him, in preparation for the 13th session of the forum, the WUF13 Operational Company began its activities on June 30, 2025. A comprehensive range of tasks was completed in a short period, including institutional preparation, spatial infrastructure planning, operational management, transportation, marketing, and communications.
"The formation of a professional team is one of the key priorities for the successful execution of such a large-scale event. Currently, a working team of about 300 people has been formed. Most of the hired staff are professionals with experience in organizing international events," Rasulov explained.
He pointed out that volunteers play an important role in the successful conduct of the forum. For this purpose, a Volunteer Center was created, and 16,000 applications were recorded during registration. A total of 2,500 volunteers who successfully completed training will be involved in various aspects of the forum's activities.
"The Baku Olympic Stadium was chosen as the venue for the event, where infrastructure preparation is underway to accommodate the scale of the forum. Construction work has already begun. Special attention is being given to sustainable development principles, and the event is planned to be conducted in accordance with the ISO 20121 standard," he added.
Rasulov also said that conference halls and other infrastructure with a total area of 92,000 square meters will be organized at the stadium.
"An exhibition called 'Urban Expo' will be organized as part of the forum, covering an area of 35,000 square meters. Countries, cities, municipalities, regional bodies, UN organizations, academic institutes, international financial and civil organizations, foundations, and private companies will be able to participate," he noted.
He also emphasized that special attention will be given to transportation issues to ensure access for participants to the event venue.
"A General Transport Transfer Centers Plan has been developed, with 11 transport hubs identified. Work continues on mapping routes between Heydar Aliyev International Airport, hotels, the city center, and the Baku Olympic Stadium," he announced.
In addition, Rasulov stressed that security issues will be a key focus during the event.
He highlighted that hosting the forum is seen as a continuation of Azerbaijan's high organizational and operational potential, developed through international events held over the past decade.
"In particular, the processes related to hosting COP29, which involved tens of thousands of participants, hundreds of official delegations, and international media, demonstrated the country's high readiness in logistics, security, transportation, volunteer programs, accreditation, and media operations. This experience has created a strong institutional foundation for the successful hosting of WUF13," Rasulov concluded.
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