Baku to host international conference on youth in urban development at WUF13

The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) will organise an international conference titled "The Role of Youth in Decolonizing Urbanization" on May 20, 2026, within the framework of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum (WUF13) taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The conference will mark the first international event of the Global Youth Platform of the South, an initiative created by BIG and led by young people from various countries, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Representatives of the UN Youth Office will participate in the conference for the first time.

The event will bring together members of the Global Youth Platform of the South representing current and former colonies.

Participants will include young researchers, international law specialists, public health experts, representatives of political parties and independence movements, youth organisation leaders, and university students.

In total, representatives from 22 countries are expected to attend.

Discussions will focus on developing stronger and more coordinated mechanisms among youth to address the continuing impacts of colonialism and neocolonialism across different regions, expanding networking within the Global Youth Platform of the South, and transforming international solidarity into practical and effective platforms.

Participants will also exchange views on increasing youth self-organisation, bringing systemic discrimination and rights violations affecting minorities to the centre of the international agenda, and promoting concrete international initiatives to address these issues.

The report notes that urbanisation in territories under colonial and neocolonial governance is accompanied by serious structural challenges, social inequality, and infrastructure shortages. In Kanaky–New Caledonia, French migration policies are said to have altered the demographic balance, leaving the indigenous Kanak population in the minority and pushing it from urban centres to peripheral areas.

It further states that the economic advantages of European-origin populations settled on the island have deepened socio-economic inequality.

In Bonaire, the ongoing effects of Dutch colonial policy, combined with rising tourism and foreign investment pressures, have led to sharp increases in housing prices, significantly limiting access to affordable housing for residents and widening inequality.

In Mayotte, Cyclone “Chido” destroyed more than 90% of the infrastructure, leaving over 100,000 people homeless and internally displaced. Against the backdrop of a large-scale humanitarian crisis, the delayed and inadequate response of French authorities exacerbated the situation.

In addition, on May 19 at 11:00, at Pavilion A39 within WUF13, the Baku Initiative Group will hold another event titled “Injustice Created by Colonial Governance and the Housing Crisis.”

Participants will discuss the socio-economic consequences of colonial and neocolonial governance, structural inequalities arising from urbanisation processes, current housing challenges, and their impact on local populations.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov