Azerbaijan to present WUF13 outcomes at UN high-level meeting

An Azerbaijani delegation led by Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture Anar Guliyev is participating in the United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting taking place at UN Headquarters in New York on July 16–17.

According to the State Committee, the meeting marks the 10-year progress of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, adopted at the Habitat III Conference in Quito in 2016, and aims to identify priorities for accelerating its implementation through 2036, Caliber.Az reports.

The gathering brings together senior officials from across the globe to discuss key issues including affordable housing, inclusive urban development, climate action, sustainable urbanization, and progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular emphasis on SDG 11, which focuses on sustainable cities and communities.

As part of the program, Guliyev is scheduled to address the opening session, participate in plenary discussions on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, and join a ministerial roundtable. He will also speak at a special event on the localization of the SDGs and take part in multi-stakeholder panel discussions, where he will present Azerbaijan's experience and policies in promoting sustainable and inclusive urban development.

The New York discussions are expected to build on the momentum generated by the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), hosted by Baku in May 2026. The forum attracted more than 58,000 participants from 176 countries, making it the largest gathering in the event's history. Azerbaijan also introduced the Leaders' Segment for the first time, elevating urban planning and housing policy within the global policy agenda.

The forum's final document, the "Baku Call to Action," urges coordinated international efforts to accelerate implementation of the New Urban Agenda, expand access to affordable housing, promote people-centered urban development, and strengthen climate resilience. The priorities set out in the document reflect a shared vision among governments, local authorities, international organizations, civil society, academia, youth, and the private sector, and closely align with the objectives of the UN high-level meeting.

On the sidelines of the event, Azerbaijan is expected to sign a Contribution Agreement with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to launch a joint initiative on the planning and development of sustainable human settlements in Karabakh and East Zangezur.

The agreement is expected to support the application of modern territorial planning and urban development practices in Azerbaijan's liberated territories, promote international best practices, and further strengthen the country's long-standing partnership with UN-Habitat.

By Vafa Guliyeva