Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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The final day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), jointly organized in Baku by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Azerbaijani government, has officially begun, AzerNEWS reports.

The concluding day of the forum opened with roundtable discussions dedicated to the role of indigenous peoples and women in urban development.

Later in the day, a series of events marking the official closure of WUF13 will take place. The program includes a final press conference summarizing the outcomes of the forum, followed by the official closing ceremony and the symbolic handover to the city that will host WUF14. The day will conclude with the lowering of the WUF13 flag.

Throughout the final day, participants are expected to summarize the results of discussions held over the past five days and outline future directions for cooperation in urban planning, housing policy, and sustainable development.

During previous sessions of WUF13, participants extensively discussed the global housing crisis, the development of safe and inclusive cities, resilience to climate change, the application of artificial intelligence in urban governance, green urbanization, and social equality.

The forum’s fourth day featured sessions focused on urbanization, climate change, inclusive urban development, housing policy, and sustainable governance. During the SPECA Cities Forum held on the same day, it was announced that the city of Almaty had joined the Declaration of Intent on the establishment of the “SPECA Climate-Resilient Smart Cities Forum.”

On the third day of the event, a sister-city memorandum was signed between Azerbaijan’s city of Shusha and the Turkish city of Trabzon. The document was signed by Aydin Karimov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the Shusha district, and Ahmet Metin Genç, Mayor of Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality.

During the first two days of the forum, ministers gathered for meetings dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, while leaders’ summits, women’s and civil society assemblies, business sessions, and high-level discussions on urban prosperity and the global housing crisis were also held. In addition, the Mexico City pavilion was officially inaugurated.

WUF13, which brought together more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, concludes on May 22. Held under the theme “Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements,” the forum has served as a global platform for governments, international organizations, experts, and civil society representatives to strengthen international cooperation in sustainable urban development.