BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 22. A ceremony of
lowering the flags of Azerbaijan and the UN was held at the Baku
Olympic Stadium as part of the 13th Session of the UN World Urban
Forum (WUF13) today, Trend reports.
The flag-lowering ceremony symbolizes the official closing of
the session.
The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) was held
in Baku from May 17 to May 22.
Convened by UN-Habitat and co-organized with the Government of
the Republic of Azerbaijan, WUF13 was held under the theme “Housing
the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities”.
The Forum hosted 579 sessions throughout the week, while the
Urban Expo brought together 260 exhibitors, innovators and solution
providers. WUF13 featured 11 heads of state, 9 high-level guests,
88 ministers and 76 deputy ministers, and 130 mayors, alongside
representatives of international organizations, financial
institutions, academia, civil society and grassroots
organizations.
A key outcome emerging from WUF13 was the presentation of the
Baku Call to Action, a stakeholder-led document developed through
contributions from civil society organizations, local authorities,
practitioners, researchers, community representatives and other
urban actors. Framed around the urgent global housing crisis, the
Call to Action advocates for renewed political commitment to
adequate housing through people-centred, inclusive and
climate-resilient approaches, while encouraging stronger multilevel
governance, investment and community participation in housing
solutions.
