BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Young people must be
co-authors of urban transformation, the Executive Director of the
Kounkuey Design Initiative from Kenya, Vera Bukachi said, Trend reports.


She made the remark during an event titled “Youth and Civil
Society Leadership in Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Cities”
as part of WUF13.


"We are meeting at a moment of particular urgency for our youth.
By 2030, just four short years from now, nearly one billion people
in Africa will live in cities, and more than half of them will be
under 35. “600 millions of them will live in informal settlements,
similar to those where we work, and the majority of them will be
young people,” she said.


Bukachi noted that these young people are nevertheless cut off
from investment, housing, land, opportunities, and often from
decisions regarding the development of their own neighborhoods.


“We’ve had years of declarations, years of policy documents,
years of talk. What we lack now is consistent practice where youth
and civil society are at the center—not as beneficiaries, but as
co-authors, co-implementers, rights holders, and joint agents of
urban change,” she said.


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.