BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The government of Azerbaijan’s extensive strategic experience in executing post-conflict recovery and infrastructure rehabilitation across the Karabakh region can serve as a vital operational blueprint for Palestine, Sami Hijjawi, Minister of Local Government of the Palestinian Authority, told Trend on the sidelines of WUF13 in Baku.
According to him, Palestine currently confronts severe, systemic structural destruction across both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank—a highly volatile situation that mirrors the complex infrastructural and humanitarian challenges previously managed by Azerbaijan in its post-conflict zones.
"We fundamentally intend to leverage our excellent bilateral relations with Azerbaijan to directly benefit from its specialized institutional expertise in large-scale reconstruction. Azerbaijan consistently stands out as a reliable partner delivering critical humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, a baseline support package that our leadership holds in exceptionally high regard," the minister noted.
Hijjawi pointed out that initiating a comprehensive recovery trajectory within Palestine remains structurally impossible without mobilizing synchronized international backing, adding that such multilateral efforts achieve maximum efficiency when driven by close partner nations.
The government official emphasized that the primary operational bottleneck at the current stage remains the ongoing military operations, which completely block the launch of any large-scale physical rebuilding phase.
"As long as active military operations persist across Gaza and the West Bank, deploying long-term reconstruction workflows remains a deep logistical challenge," he stressed.
Hijjawi concurrently highlighted the pressing strategic necessity of expanding inter-agency cooperation with Azerbaijan specifically within the domain of municipal governance and local self-administration. He reported that Palestine possesses 136 functioning municipal councils, and drawing upon Azerbaijan's institutional modernization and public administration models could significantly accelerate domestic municipal reforms.
To anchor these collaborative targets, the minister announced that delegation-level meetings have already taken place with Azerbaijani government officials to map out concrete frameworks for cross-border knowledge transfers.
Concluding his remarks, Hijjawi reiterated that the Palestinian Authority remains deeply committed to cementing closer institutional bonds with Baku, emphasizing that this technical partnership will play a central role in framing Palestine’s long-term master-planning and spatial reconstruction roadmaps.
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.
