BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Our goal is to build
entirely new cities and towns, Anar Guliyev, national coordinator
of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) and chairman of Azerbaijan’s State
Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, said, Trend reports.


He made the announcement during the High-Level Urban Dialogue of
the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), held in Baku as part of
the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13).


According to him, the “Baku Call to Action” document will play a
crucial role in shaping future directions in the areas of housing,
sustainable urban development, and urbanization.


Anar Guliyev also touched upon projects being implemented by
Azerbaijan in the areas of reconstruction and restoration.


“The restoration of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur holds a
special place in this regard. After years of occupation and
destruction, our goal is not simply to restore the previous state,
but to create entirely new cities and villages based on the ‘build
back better’ principle. This approach is grounded in the concepts
of ‘smart’ cities and ‘smart’ villages, green energy solutions, and
the principles of human-centered design,” he noted.


The Committee Chairman added that important steps are also being
taken in the areas of climate change and green construction.







“Currently, Azerbaijan’s roadmap for green construction is being
developed in cooperation with international financial
institutions,” Anar Guliyev emphasized.


Meanwhile, the third day of the 13th session of the World Urban
Forum (WUF13) was held in Baku.


On the first day, a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New
Urban Agenda, a roundtable of ministers, assemblies of women and
civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban
well-being were held. A ceremony for raising the flags of the
United Nations and Azerbaijan also took place within the framework
of the forum.


The second day of the forum drew attention with the first-ever
Leaders Summit. High-level discussions on the global housing
crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience were held that
day. At the same time, the Mexico City pavilion was inaugurated
within the framework of WUF13. The pavilion was presented as an
important platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin
American region and preparing for WUF14.


WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered
participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held
under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and
communities,” the forum brings together governments, international
organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to
strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban
development.