Kenyan media highlights Azerbaijan’s role in upcoming World Urban Forum, regional peace efforts

Kenya’s newspaper The Standard has spotlighted Azerbaijan’s growing role on the global stage, emphasizing its upcoming hosting of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) and the recent landmark peace agreement with Armenia.

The article, titled “Housing to remain key at World Urban Forum,” underscores the importance of sustainable urban development while also recognizing the broader geopolitical context in which the Forum will take place, Caliber.Az reports, via local media.

Scheduled for May 2026 in Baku, WUF13 will be co-organized by the Government of Azerbaijan and UN-Habitat under the theme “Housing the World – safe and resilient Cities and Communities.” According to the article, the Forum will feature a pioneering summit for heads of state and government, focusing on the centrality of urban planning to global development.

Highlighting the contrast between national housing challenges, The Standard wrote, “While in Kenya the housing deficit persists and interventions such as affordable housing project front, in the host nation of 13th WUF, major reconstruction and rehabilitation program for the territories liberated following 30 years of occupation by the neighboring Armenia is underway. Azerbaijan hopes to turn the page of conflict focusing on peace and development in the region.”

The article goes on to connect the Forum’s significance with recent diplomatic breakthroughs in the South Caucasus. “This comes at a time a historic peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia was brokered by the US and signed between the Azerbaijani President and the Armenian Prime Minister. The agreement is set to offer stability and enhance partnership in the region; which will broaden the opportunities for the 13th World Urban Forum,” the report emphasized.

Azerbaijan’s momentum on the global sustainability agenda continues to build. Having hosted the COP29 UN Climate Summit in 2024, the country is now preparing to integrate climate-focused urban development into the WUF13 agenda. “After hosting COP29 in 2024, Azerbaijan is expected to focus on how Climate Change impacts urban development. This is expected to be one of the key topics during the WUF, particularly given the fact the Forum will take place on the eve of the World Environment Day 2026, to be also held in Azerbaijan in June 2026,” The Standard noted.

By Vafa Guliyeva