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Ulviyya Poladova

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Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) signed the Contribution Agreement for the Implementation of the Project Titled "Integrated Spatial Planning for Sustainable Urban Development - Towards Smart, Resilient and Inclusive Human Settlements in the East Zangezur Economic Region of the Republic of Azerbaijan," AzerNEWS reports.

The document was inked by Anar Guliyev, Azerbaijan’s Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, and Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of the UN-Habitat, at the UN Headquarters in New York, the U.S.

The agreement marks a new phase in cooperation between Azerbaijan and UN-Habitat. Under the partnership, UN-Habitat will directly participate in the planning and design of settlements in Azerbaijan's liberated territories, contributing to the creation of more sustainable and people-centered living environments for residents returning to their native homes under the Second State Program on the Great Return.

As part of the project, international experts from UN-Habitat will work alongside Azerbaijani specialists to prepare territorial planning documents for Quyjaq village in Jabrayil district and Mollabayramli village in Kalbajar district. The cooperation will also help improve approaches to designing sustainable settlements in Karabakh and East Zangazur by incorporating recommendations from leading international professional organizations.

A key component of the partnership is strengthening national human capital and institutional capacity. To this end, training sessions and practical workshops involving international experts will be organized for Azerbaijani professionals working in urban planning, territorial planning, and sustainable development. These initiatives are expected to facilitate the adoption of international best practices, enhance local expertise, and build long-term national capacity for the reconstruction and development of the liberated territories.

Prior to the signing ceremony, Anar Guliyev and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach held a bilateral meeting to discuss the current state and future prospects of cooperation in urban planning, spatial planning, sustainable urbanization, and climate-resilient city development.

The two sides also reviewed the outcomes of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), held in Baku in May this year, as well as urban development initiatives advanced within the framework of COP29. They emphasized the importance of continuing cooperation in these areas.

Rossbach praised the high level of organization of WUF13, noting that the forum had been highly appreciated by the UN system and international participants for successfully bringing together global priorities and local development goals.

For his part, Guliyev said the partnerships established during the forum had created favorable conditions for launching new joint initiatives.

The sides also discussed the ongoing preparations for the high-level meeting dedicated to the mid-term review of the New Urban Agenda’s implementation, scheduled to begin at the UN General Assembly on July 16.

The UN-Habitat Executive Director highlighted the significant progress made in negotiating the political declaration, expressing her optimism regarding the adoption of the final document. She added that the outcomes and partnerships forged at WUF13 have contributed substantially to this process.