BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. "The Women's
Roundtable" is being held as part of the 13th session of the World
Urban Forum (WUF13), Trend reports.


Building on the Beijing+30 Action Agenda and the New Urban
Agenda, the WUF13 roundtable on gender equality and women's
empowerment will provide an action-oriented platform for advancing
the right to decent housing for women and girls in all their
diversity.


During this two-hour session, a multi-stakeholder panel will
present recommendations and best practices for policymakers, urban
development professionals, and human rights advocates; strengthen
participants' capacity to integrate gender-transformative
approaches into housing policies at the national level; and
contribute to shaping the agenda for women's leadership in housing
and land management. These proposals will be included in the WUF13
outcome document, which will provide a foundation for future
continuity and action.


Like all stakeholder-driven WUF13 sessions, this roundtable is
being developed through a participatory process led by experts in
women's access to housing and gender equality to ensure
representativeness and diversity.


Today marks the final day of the 13th session of the World Urban
Forum (WUF13).


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.


The fifth day of WUF13 continued discussions on the global
housing crisis, the creation of safe and inclusive cities, climate
resilience, the use of artificial intelligence in urban management,
green urbanization, and social equality.


One of the important events of the UN Special Programme 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.