From COP29 to WUF13: Azerbaijan shapes a new global reality Review by Teymur Atayev

The speech delivered by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, at the opening ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) once again demonstrated the leader’s ability to present the most important issues in a concise, accessible, and concrete manner.

The central message of Aliyev’s speech was to present to the world Azerbaijan’s model of development, which is founded on a vivid harmony across all spheres of life. It is a harmony between the past and the present, antiquity and modernity, national and spiritual roots and modernization. This is also explained by Azerbaijan’s geographical position at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, where East and West manifest themselves in all their diversity. Hence comes the unique mutual understanding and complementarity of various schools, styles, and dimensions that shape the Azerbaijani state. This is clearly reflected both in the country’s architecture and in its modern urban development, where the latest trends organically absorb cultural and historical traditions—and vice versa.

The great composer, conductor, and educator Uzeyir Hajibeyli brilliantly combined Western and Eastern musical styles, adapting elements of Azerbaijani folk music to classical European traditions like no one else. It is highly symbolic that this outstanding musician was born in Karabakh, where, as in East Zangezur, a unique redevelopment and revival of territories liberated from occupation is being carried out at the current historical stage.

This is not merely redevelopment in the conventional sense of the word, but rather the rebirth of historic cities, as Armenian vandals in many cases left not a single stone standing in the occupied territories, reducing them to ruins. That is why the condition of Aghdam after its liberation from occupation was compared to the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this context, Aghdam came to be known as the “Hiroshima of the Caucasus.”

Today, Aghdam, like other liberated cities and villages, has become more beautiful, brighter, and more modern thanks to the “Great Return” program. During the reconstruction process, the historical character of these places is being preserved while being harmoniously combined with the most advanced technological solutions.

As a result, representatives of the diplomatic corps, international travelers, and foreign journalists visiting these areas often cannot hide their admiration. Many are literally left speechless upon witnessing in Baku the transformation of the once “Black City” into the “White City.” Ilham Aliyev described this as a model of urban development — the creation of a “city inside the city.” Luxurious projects such as Sea Breeze serve as unique examples of Azerbaijan’s distinctive approach to urban planning.

In harmony with this vision, parks and public gardens are also being created and renovated as part of a unified development concept for Baku and other regions of the country. Within this framework, environmentally sustainable cities are being developed, offering rapid access to public transportation, micromobility, metro systems, and other modern infrastructure solutions.

Any of the more than 45,000 participants of WUF13 can easily witness this firsthand—just as the guests of COP29 previously admired Baku and the regions of Azerbaijan. Hosting two such globally significant forums in our country is vivid evidence of Azerbaijan’s growing international prestige. And there is little doubt that, just as COP29 entered world history as the Baku platform where crucial decisions of planetary importance were made, success will also accompany the 13th session of the World Urban Forum.

This is further reflected in the welcoming remarks of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed confidence that the event would help accelerate the transformation of affordable housing into a “shared reality,” describing it as “a human right, and fundamental for human dignity.”

For her part, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Anacláudia Rossbach described WUF13 as “the largest session ever held by UN-Habitat.”

The article should perhaps conclude with the views expressed by several forum participants regarding the Baku platform. UN-Habitat Programme Coordinator Roi Chiti expressed confidence that Baku could become “a true model for other cities.”

In this context, it is already evident how Chiti’s words are becoming reality. For example, Nigerian urban planning specialist Faiz Ezi announced plans to apply the experience and practices of WUF13 in Nigeria.

Representatives of Syria also expressed interest in implementing the achievements of ASAN Public Service as quickly as possible.

From an organizational perspective, Mexico’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Victoria Romero Caballero, stated that Mexico City, which will host the next World Urban Forum, intends to take into account Baku’s experience in their future activities.

Thus, the very first two days of the World Urban Forum have already demonstrated the significance of the Baku platform in terms of developing solutions for the international community.

In this regard, participants of the Leaders’ Summit held within the framework of WUF13 expressed their gratitude to the leadership of Azerbaijan for the high level of organization of the event. Noting Baku’s transformation into an important center of international dialogue, they also emphasized the forum’s role as a platform for generating new ideas.

Azerbaijan continues to make history, placing the interests of its people at the center of every step it takes — both domestically and on the international stage.