Azerbaijan to host first leaders' summit at World Urban Forum 13

The World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) will feature its inaugural Leaders' Summit on May 18, Azerbaijani officials announced, signaling a high-level push to elevate the global urban development dialogue.

Jamila Ismayilzada, Substantive Content Manager at the WUF13 Azerbaijan Operations Company, said the initiative reflects Azerbaijan’s active role in shaping the forum, Caliber.Az reports per local media. 

“The WUF13 program will be quite extensive. As always, ministerial meetings are expected. Azerbaijan, as the host country of such a large-scale UN event after COP29, has put forward several initiatives. One of them is holding the first Leaders' Summit as part of WUF13. Heads of state have previously participated in World Urban Forums, but only a small number and only by invitation. However, a larger number of top officials are expected to attend the event in Baku. Their number is growing daily, and it will definitely exceed the numbers of previous WUFs,” she told journalists during an information session.

According to Ismayilzada, more than 10 heads of state have already confirmed participation in the summit, which will run alongside the wider WUF13 programme.

The forum will be held in Baku from May 17 to 22, bringing together global policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders to discuss sustainable urbanisation and innovative solutions for cities worldwide.

By Sabina Mammadli