BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 15. UN-Habitat is set to
begin collaboration on the design of two villages in Azerbaijan’s
liberated territories, marking a new phase in the organization's
regional involvement, Anna Soave, Head of the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Azerbaijan, said, Trend reports.
She announced the initiative during the international conference
“Shaping Human Capital for Sustainable and Resilient Urban
Development" in Baku.
She noted that work is currently underway on the development of
a national urban policy.
"In the near future, in partnership with two other UN agencies -
UNEP and IOM - we will implement a project in Azerbaijan aimed at
climate change adaptation, funded by the Adaptation Fund," Soave
said. She added that the organization looks forward to discussing
ways to strengthen technical assistance with national institutions,
particularly for local authorities.
Reflecting on the agency's growth, Soave reminded participants
that UN-Habitat’s presence in Azerbaijan is relatively recent.
"We opened an office here almost three years ago. We were the
last agency to be established here and the first UN-Habitat office
in the South Caucasus and Central Asia region," she noted.
Soave emphasized that the organization takes great pride in the
interest shown by the country's leadership in establishing their
presence and initiating operations in the region.
