UN-Habitat executive director praises Azerbaijan's urban development achievements PHOTO

As part of her visit to Azerbaijan during COP29, Executive Director of the UN-Habitat Programme Anaclaudia Rossbach has visited Baku. 

She viewed several strategic projects in urban planning, culture, and environmental transformation, showcasing the rich history of the city and future prospects, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture told Caliber.Az.

Rossbach, along with Chairman of the State Committee Anar Guliyev visited Icherisheher (Old City), which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the globally renowned Heydar Aliyev Centre, as well as the "White City"—a model of environmental rehabilitation of former industrial areas, showcasing comprehensive planning and development.

Moreover, she explored the Yasamal residential complex, developed by the State Housing Development Agency of Azerbaijan (MIDA) to provide people with affordable housing, as well as the Central Park, a new public space serving as the city's "lungs".

The distinguished guest highly praised Azerbaijan's achievements and its thoughtful approach to preserving historical and architectural heritage, implementing people-centered urban planning solutions, and addressing climate and urban issues in a comprehensive manner. 

She expressed confidence in the success of the transformation and development projects set to be implemented under the new Master Plan for Baku.

The executive director of UN-Habitat also noted that the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), set to take place in Baku in 2026, will provide an excellent opportunity for thousands of international participants to learn about Azerbaijan's achievements in sustainable and healthy urban development.

The final plenary session of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) took place in Baku on November 23.

Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President-Designate and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, noted the intense efforts over the past two weeks.

He emphasised that no one wanted to leave Baku without achieving substantial progress on key issues and called for focused work to resolve remaining disagreements. Babayev highlighted that global attention was on COP29.

During COP29, Baku welcomed between 70,000 and 80,000 international visitors, including leaders from governments, businesses, and civil society, all collaborating to develop practical solutions to address the unprecedented global temperatures and extreme weather events impacting people around the world.

By Naila Huseynova