BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Forcing displaced
populations within densely populated metropolitan zones to remain
confined to tent camps or public facilities for extended durations
generates severe socio-economic crises, Lucy Earle, Director of
Research and Strategic Impact at the International Institute for
Environment and Development (IIED), said, Trend reports.


She made the remarks during a session titled "Housing at the
Centre of Crisis Recovery and Reconstruction" held within the
framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in
Baku.


Lucy Earle noted that in these emergency scenarios, individuals
are routinely forced to live in transient shelters for years at a
time—a structural breakdown observed with acute severity across
vulnerable metropolitan hubs such as Port-au-Prince, Haiti.


Furthermore, Earle emphasized that during humanitarian crises,
the prevailing operational assumption among aid agencies remains
that "displaced populations will eventually return home." In
reality, however, the vast majority of displaced families choose to
remain permanently inside the cities where they have sought refuge,
progressively anchored their lives and built livelihoods there.


According to her, as long as this institutional mindset fails to
shift, categorizing internally displaced persons (IDPs) as mere
"temporary residents" severely hinders their systematic integration
into civic urban life and negatively distorts municipal utility and
service planning.


The IIED director identified the humanitarian sector's systemic
failure to accurately account for local land tenure and property
rights as a major operational bottleneck.


"We must comprehensively evaluate the localized context and
specific land rights structures of each unique city. Unfortunately,
rehabilitation solutions are too often engineered exclusively for
individuals possessing formal title deeds and certified property
documentation. Consequently, the most highly vulnerable segments of
the population—namely renters and informal settlement dwellers—are
entirely excluded from these institutional recovery frameworks,"
Earle stated.


Furthermore, she pointed out that the flawed spatial planning of
large-scale residential zones erected for displaced communities
triggers profound negative long-term consequences.


"Housing developments positioned far away from employment hubs
and vital municipal infrastructure lines frequently sit
underutilized, rapidly devolving into 'ghost towns.' This occurs
because specific refugee encampments are strategically isolated
from broader economic centers, structurally preventing them from
naturally evolving into viable, self-sustaining cities," she
explained.


According to her, the conceptual idea of organically
transitioning temporary refugee camps into functional
municipalities is not always feasible. "If trapped populations lack
freedom of movement and direct access to viable economic activities
for their basic livelihoods, that geographic space simply cannot
transition into a resilient city," Earle noted.


She concluded that future international paradigms must firmly
shift their focus away from segregating displaced populations on
peripheral metropolitan margins, prioritizing instead their
immediate and comprehensive integration directly into existing
municipal fabrics, cities, and townships.







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.