BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 22. Anacláudia Rossbach,
Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements
Programme (UN-Habitat), has expressed gratitude to President Ilham
Aliyev for the successful organization of the 13th Session of the
World Urban Forum (WUF13).


In her letter addressed to the Azerbaijani President, Anacláudia
Rossbach stated:


“On behalf of UN-Habitat, I express my deepest appreciation to
you and your Government for the uniquely successful hosting of
WUF13. WUF13 marked a pivotal moment for the housing community
worldwide and for UN-Habitat, by bringing together a record number
of participants from across the world, representing national and
local governments, civil society, academia, the private sector,
youth groups, international organizations, and other stakeholders
committed to advancing sustainable urban development.


WUF13 was also historic as the first ever session of the World
Urban Forum held in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. The
successful delivery of WUF13 reflects the strong commitment,
leadership, and hospitality of the Government and people of
Azerbaijan. The close cooperation between UN-Habitat and Azerbaijan
was instrumental in ensuring effective preparation and organization
of the Forum across all substantive, operational, and logistical
areas.


WUF13 delivered several ambitious outcomes such as the Baku Call
to Action and the Ministerial Meeting outcome document (Chairs’
Summary), and it hosted the largest Urban Expo in the history of
the World Urban Forum. WUF13 also introduced many new and
innovative initiatives, including the WUF Academy, the Business and
Innovation Hub, and the Practices Hub, which further strengthened
WUF as a platform for rich dialogue, knowledge exchange,
partnerships, and practical urban solutions.


These outcomes and experiences from WUF13 therefore made a
groundbreaking and critical contribution to strengthened global
cooperation and to advancing the implementation of the New Urban
Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11.


WUF13 has also established important legacies. This includes the
“WUF13 Baku Standards”, which will contribute to the development of
an operational guide for future sessions of the World Urban Forum,
as well as the Baku Urban Award.”