Azerbaijan holds final preparations meeting for WUF13 Urban Forum PHOTO

The Organising Committee for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) has held a meeting in Baku to review preparations for the forum to be held on May 17-22.

Opening the session, Head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan and Committee Chair Samir Nuriyev said preparations are entering their final stage, noting that Baku will host one of the world’s leading platforms on urban planning and sustainable development, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

He stressed that, under President Ilham Aliyev, hosting major international events has become a consistent practice for Azerbaijan.

Nuriyev said WUF13 is particularly important for presenting the country’s modern urban development strategy, its role in the sustainability agenda, and large-scale reconstruction efforts in the liberated territories.

He also highlighted the designation of 2026 as the “Year of Urban Planning and Architecture” in Azerbaijan, saying it further increases the forum’s significance.

According to Nuriyev, more than 28,000 participants from 177 countries have registered so far, with about half expected to be foreign delegates, reflecting strong global interest in the event.

He drew attention to Azerbaijan’s introduction of “Leaders’ Statements” for the first time in WUF history, describing it as an initiative aimed at elevating urban development issues to high-level international discussion.

The meeting also heard reports on preparations across logistics, communications, protocol, transport, and organisational areas.

Closing the session, Nuriyev expressed confidence that WUF13 will further demonstrate Azerbaijan’s capacity to host major global events and instructed relevant bodies to complete remaining preparations in a coordinated and timely manner.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov