WUF13 in Baku attracts over 40,000 participants from 182 countries – State Committee

The 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku brought together more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, according to the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of Azerbaijan.

Chairman of the State Committee Anar Guliyev made the announcement during the closing session of a ministerial meeting held within the framework of the forum, noting the scale and global reach of the event, Caliber.Az reports.

“I also join the delegations in expressing gratitude to the Government and people of Azerbaijan for their warm hospitality and the successful organisation of WUF13 in Baku, which brought together more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries,” he said.

According to Guliyev, in recognition of the successful preparation for hosting WUF13 in Baku, Azerbaijan also sees value in preserving and transferring this experience to future host countries.

“On this basis, drawing on the ‘Baku Standards’ developed by the WUF13 Operational Company in Azerbaijan, we intend to cooperate with UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) to jointly prepare an informative operational guide for future WUFs. Yesterday, we signed a Letter of Intent with UN-Habitat, which further strengthens the nature of our partnership and reflects a shared commitment not only to the success of WUF13 but also to supporting the long-term development of future WUFs,” he emphasized.

At the same time, Guliyev noted that Azerbaijan would be pleased to share its experience with Mexico as the next host country of the Forum.

“We will be glad to share Azerbaijan’s experience, lessons learned, and operational practices of WUF13, and to support a smooth and successful transition to the next forum. Strengthening this continuity between host countries is an important part of building a stronger and more effective WUF legacy,” he said.

Guliyev also highlighted that several speakers emphasized the impact of wars, conflicts, and disasters on cities, housing, infrastructure, and basic services, as well as the resulting challenges of population displacement and humanitarian issues. Delegations also mentioned the importance of post-conflict recovery and rehabilitation.

“They welcomed Azerbaijan’s experience in post-conflict recovery, considering it worthy of application in similar contexts, and expressed their solidarity with Azerbaijan in this endeavour,” Guliyev noted.

In the speakers’ statements, Guliyev said, it was further underlined that the coming decade must move from commitments to large-scale implementation. This will require stronger financing, project preparation, technical support, data systems, accountability, local government capacity, and practical implementation tools, as well as stronger partnerships between governments, academia, civil society, communities, and the private sector.

“Participants in the discussions emphasized that adequate housing should be understood in three dimensions: as a human right and foundation for inclusion; as economic infrastructure linked to jobs, services, and opportunities; and as a critical pathway for climate action, disaster risk reduction, and urban resilience.

The discussions also highlighted the importance of implementation, financing, multi-level governance, community participation, and partnerships.

A more detailed reflection will be included in the updated Chair’s summary, which will be presented later this week,” Anar Guliyev added.

Kheyraddin Nasirzade