BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. The media is the main driving force behind transforming urban development from a technical issue into a people-centred dialogue, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Media Development Agency and founding director of the “Communications and Digital Media” program at ADA University, Shafag Mehraliyeva said, Trend reports.
She made the statement at the event “Media as a Driver of Public Discourse on Housing and Urban Resilience,” held as part of WUF13.
Mehraliyeva noted that no matter how effectively state institutions strive to fulfill their duties, they cannot effectively address housing and sustainable urban development issues unilaterally, without public participation and public trust. These two elements, participation and trust, cannot exist without communication.
Furthermore, Mehraliyeva said that communication should be viewed not merely as an additional element of urban policy, but as an important part of the infrastructure of sustainable development.
The Supervisory Board member emphasized that the process of reconstruction and resettlement in Karabakh is a unique example for Azerbaijan and one of the best lessons that international guests can learn from it.
“For 30 years, nearly one million people have been displaced. Today, we are returning to our liberated territories, and every person returning home has their own expectations, based on memories of their hometowns from 30 years ago. For example, people returning to Agdam today are faced with a completely different, more modern, and sustainable environment. In this context, I would like to express my gratitude to the Azerbaijani media, because they are very professionally explaining to the public why the situation around them is exactly as it is and what the future of Karabakh will look like.
Through media projects such as “Aghdam and Me”, communities returning to their homeland are gradually being prepared for this process. They are told that the environment to which they are returning will be future-oriented. This reinforces their sense of stability.
This example demonstrates that information and communication must be properly organized, not at the end, but from the very beginning of urban planning processes. Very often, information is provided to the public only after decisions have been made. This is a global problem.
Housing policies and planning documents may exist, but if communities do not understand how this affects their lives and do not become participants in the process, even the most carefully designed policy can lose its effectiveness in practice,” she added.
Today, the fourth day of the WUF13 conference is taking place 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.
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.
