Caspian Sea crisis, smart cities on agenda at World Urban Forum in Azerbaijan—official

Deliberations are currently in progress at the 13th Global Baku Forum as part of the preparatory efforts for the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum (WUF13), scheduled to be held in Azerbaijan this May, Azerbaijani President’s Representative on Climate Issues and COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev told AZERTAC.

“Today, we are also discussing the forum on cities in Baku with all our guests, because the climate issue here is extremely important. Cities are infrastructure that consumes the most energy. Sixty-five percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and, of course, they are key points and sources generating the largest amount of emissions,” Babayev said.

He emphasized that proper urban planning and smart city approaches are central to the climate agenda. “On the agenda are climate and urban planning, correct city design, the concept of ‘smart cities,’ appropriate approaches to water, gas, and electricity supply, waste management, and more. We also plan to discuss the application of environmentally friendly and less resource-intensive technologies in cities—covering energy, water, and gas efficiency. All of this will be addressed at the World Urban Forum,” he added.

Babayev also confirmed that the issue of the Caspian Sea’s shallowing will be a point of discussion at WUF13. “We discussed this today as well. We will also have a separate session on March 15. I believe there will be an opportunity to address this topic at the City Forum,” he said.

By Vafa Guliyeva