BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. The fourth day of the
13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), ongoing in Baku, has
commenced, Trend
reports.


​Jointly organized by the United Nations Human Settlements
Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Government of Azerbaijan, today's
program focuses on urbanization, climate change, inclusive urban
development, housing policy, and sustainable governance.


​The schedule for the fourth day features dialogues, special
sessions, and roundtables on topics including "Transformation of
Informal Settlements and Slums," "The Climate-Housing Nexus,"
"Voices from Cities: SPECA Cities Forum," "Azerbaijan's Housing
Experience," "Cities as a Playground," "Rethinking Cultural
Heritage and Inclusive Urban Regeneration," "Clean Air," "Persons
with Disabilities," "Parliamentarians," "Developing Waste
Management in Line with the Circular Economy," and "Developing
Urban Climate Heritage."


​Forum participants will emphasize the importance of developing
urbanization processes based on the principles of social
inclusivity, the green economy, and climate resilience. The
sessions will also feature extensive discussions on the role of
innovative solutions, clean energy, sustainable transport, and
digital technologies in the future development of cities.


​The third day of WUF13 also stood out for its comprehensive
program of events. Discussions on that day centered around the
global housing crisis, the formation of safe and inclusive cities,
climate resilience, artificial intelligence and urban governance,
green urbanization, social equity, and sustainable transport.


​One of the most notable events on the third day was the signing
of a memorandum on establishing sister-city relations between
Shusha (Azerbaijan) and Trabzon (Türkiye). Aydın Karimov, the
Special Representative of the President of the Republic of
Azerbaijan in the Shusha district, and Ahmet Metin Genç signed the
document. The memorandum envisages the expansion of cooperation
between the two cities in urban planning, culture, tourism, and
local government.







​The first two days of the forum also featured high-level events
and discussions.


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.