BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The development of
Azerbaijan's inaugural national sustainability standard represents
a highly critical milestone in translating high-level climate
strategies into actionable operations, Mukhtar Babayev,
Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on
Climate Issues, said, Trend reports.


Babayev made the remark in a video address delivered during a
panel discussion titled "Developing Azerbaijan’s First National
Sustainability Standard: The Sustainable Practices Standard (SPS)"
held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban
Forum (WUF13) in Baku.


Furthermore, Babayev noted that Azerbaijan attaches particular
strategic importance to sustainable urban development,
environmental accountability, and climate resilience paradigms.


He emphasized that drafting the country's first national
sustainability standard reflects a clear institutional
understanding that sustainable development must look beyond
abstract strategies and political declarations. Instead, he noted,
these principles must undergo deep integration into spatial
planning, infrastructure project management, and everyday
institutional workflows.


"Today, rapidly expanding cities sit directly at the epicenter
of both climate vulnerabilities and climate solutions," the
presidential envoy pointed out.


According to Babayev, the implementation of sustainable
practices helps transform sustainable development from a conceptual
theory into measurable, localized actions. Furthermore, he noted
that this standardized regulatory architecture drives corporate and
public accountability, strengthens institutional capacity, and
maximizes resource-use efficiency across both public and private
sectors.


In addition, the presidential representative stated that hosting
the COP29 climate summit in Baku permanently reinforced
Azerbaijan's long-term commitment to practical climate actions and
multilateral international cooperation.


"The high-level negotiations and agreements achieved within the
framework of COP29 systematically underscored the growing global
necessity of deploying practical mitigation measures, scaling
climate finance mechanisms, and executing a deeper integration of
sustainability frameworks into state policy", Babayev
concluded.


Today marks the fifth day of WUF13 in Baku.







The first day included a ministerial meeting dedicated to the
New Urban Agenda, a ministerial roundtable, assemblies for women
and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban
prosperity. An official ceremony marking the raising of the UN and
Azerbaijani flags also took place.


The second day stood out for the inaugural Leaders' Summit,
featuring high-level discussions on the global housing crisis,
urbanization policy, and urban resilience. Concurrently, the
opening of the Mexico City pavilion took place, serving as a
significant platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin
American region and preparing for WUF14.


The third day of WUF13 featured a comprehensive program of
events covering 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 highlights of the third day was the signing of a
sister-city memorandum between the Azerbaijani city of Shusha and
the Turkish city of Trabzon.


The fourth day of WUF13 featured a broad program of events
dedicated to urbanization, climate change, inclusive urban
development, housing policy, and sustainable governance.


One of the important events of the UN Special Program for the
Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Cities Forum, held on the fourth
day, was the announcement of Almaty’s official accession to the
“Declaration of Intent on the Establishment of the SPECA Smart
Climate-Resilient Cities Forum.”


Also, for the first time in WUF history and at Azerbaijan’s
initiative, the “WUF13 NGO Forum: Global Partnership and
Decision-Making” was held.


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.