BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. The Baku Call to Action, which serves as the final document of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, calls for the strengthening of public and local governance of land systems to address the rising cost of housing and real estate speculation, Trend reports.
"Rising urbanization, mounting financialization and weak land governance systems are driving increasing land costs, property speculation, spatial inequality and insecurity of tenure. We call for stronger public and local stewardship of land systems through appropriate regulation of land markets, curbing speculation, property taxation, inclusionary housing, development charges and land value capture that ensure equitable access to serviced and de-risked land," the document states.
In addition, the Baku Call to Action contains an appeal to legislative and executive authorities to enhance accountability in the land sector.
"We appeal to parliaments and national departments to decentralize land management to local authorities and local governments, land institutions, communities and development actors must strengthen tenure rights and protections while advancing inclusive and accountable land governance systems," the document notes.
The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) was held in Baku from May 17 to May 22.
Convened by UN-Habitat and co-organized with the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, WUF13 was held under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities”.
The Forum hosted 579 sessions throughout the week, while the Urban Expo brought together 260 exhibitors, innovators and solution providers. WUF13 featured 11 heads of state, 9 high-level guests, 88 ministers and 76 deputy ministers, and 130 mayors, alongside representatives of international organizations, financial institutions, academia, civil society and grassroots organizations.
