Azerbaijan showcases WUF13 legacy, Karabakh reconstruction at UN PHOTO

Azerbaijan has presented the outcomes of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) and its post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Karabakh and East Zangezur during a high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture said on July 20.

The Azerbaijani delegation, led by Committee Chairman Anar Guliyev, took part in the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the midterm review of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, held on July 16–17 at UN Headquarters, Caliber.Az reports.

According to the committee, one of the delegation's main priorities was to promote the international legacy of WUF13, which was hosted by Baku in May and brought together more than 58,000 participants from 176 countries.

Officials said the Forum's key outcome documents—the Baku Call to Action and the Chair's Summary—along with the inaugural Leaders' Segment, the Baku Urban Planning Award and other initiatives, have already been incorporated into the work of the UN General Assembly, contributing to the advancement of the New Urban Agenda.

Addressing the plenary session, Guliyev outlined Azerbaijan's urban development policies, highlighting reforms aimed at creating safe, inclusive and people-centred communities. He also presented the country's approach to spatial planning as an important tool for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

A significant part of Azerbaijan's presentation focused on the reconstruction of territories liberated after years of conflict. Speaking at a ministerial meeting on rebuilding areas affected by conflict, natural disasters and forced displacement, Guliyev said reconstruction should not simply restore former settlements but create modern cities and villages designed for future generations.

He described post-conflict recovery as a strategic opportunity to develop sustainable, inclusive and resilient communities rather than a return to pre-conflict conditions.

The delegation also presented Azerbaijan's reconstruction programme in Karabakh and East Zangezur as an example of a modern post-conflict development model. According to the committee, facilities with a combined area of three million square metres have been completed across the region over the past six years, while new housing has been built for 16,000 families.

Authorities said life has returned to 10 cities, three settlements and 30 villages, where more than 90,000 people now live, work and study.

One of the visit's key outcomes was the signing of a cooperation agreement between Azerbaijan's State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Under the agreement, territorial planning documents will be prepared for the villages of Guyjag in Jabrayil district and Mollabayramli in Kalbajar district.

The committee said the project will mark UN-Habitat's first direct involvement in the reconstruction of Azerbaijan's liberated territories and will support the implementation of the government's Great Return programme through the application of international expertise.

During the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation also held bilateral meetings with UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach, Poland's Deputy Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Jan Szyszko, and Brazil's Minister of Cities António Vladimir Moura Lima to discuss cooperation in sustainable urban development, joint projects and the exchange of best practices in territorial planning.

By Aghakazim Guliyev