BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue is essential to ensure stability, shared prosperity, and long-term solutions for Cape Verde municipalities, President of the National Association of Municipalities of Cape Verde Fabio Vieira said at an event titled "Beyond External Finance - Can Cities Scale Their Own Revenues While Delivering Housing Solutions" within the framework of WUF13 in Baku, Trend reports.
"At a time when we are witnessing growing turbulence in global geopolitics, marked by conflicts, strategic rivalries, and fragmentation that threatens traditional mechanisms of cooperation, the need for stronger and more responsible international cooperation becomes even more evident," he said.
Vieira noted that countries, especially the most vulnerable, are failing to address challenges that are inherently global: from climate change to energy security, from human mobility to development financing.
According to him, strengthening alliances, deepening partnerships, and promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue are not just desirable; they are essential to ensuring stability, shared prosperity, and long-term solutions for our municipalities.
"Municipalities around the world, and especially African municipalities, face the dual challenge of financing their development and providing decent housing for rapidly growing populations. Relying solely on external funding is no longer sufficient. We must strengthen local autonomy, diversify revenue sources, and create innovative mechanisms that enable municipalities to invest sustainably," he added.
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.
