BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 31. The Second Session of the Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), held in Nairobi, Kenya on May 29-30, has ended, Trend reports.
Azerbaijan was represented at the session by Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Development and Architecture, National Coordinator for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).
Following the results of the elections held within the framework of the regular session of the Assembly of the UN-Habitat Program, Azerbaijan was elected a member of the Executive Board of the UN-Habitat. The membership, which will cover the period from 2025 to 2029, will allow the country to play a more active role in international decision-making in the field of urbanization, as well as in the formation of a sustainable and inclusive urban environment.
The session also officially approved the theme and date of the World Urban Forum - WUF13, which will be held in Baku in 2026. The issues of expanding cooperation with partner countries and supporting active participation in WUF13, which will help strengthen the position of Azerbaijan in global urban development processes, were discussed.
The assembly approved a new Strategic Plan for 2026-2029, as well as international guidelines on the topic of "People-Centered Smart Cities". The document defines the future areas of UN-Habitat's activities, specific goals and new priorities to respond to global challenges in the field of sustainable urban development.
The Azerbaijani delegation also actively participated in events on the topics of "Multi-level governance for localizing the Sustainable Development Goals", "Briefing on Urban Climate and Environment - 2025 and Beyond", as well as "Decent Housing for All". Guliyev emphasized the growing role of cities, the importance of COP29 in the global climate agenda and the high international assessment of the initiatives of the Baku Coalition for Sustainable Development.
During the visit, the committee chairman held meetings with UN-Habitat Executive Director Anna-Claudia Rosbach, as well as representatives of Italy, China, Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Kenya. The meetings discussed opportunities for cooperation in the areas of sustainable urban development, smart city models, environmental transformation and digital governance. The parties were invited to actively participate in the WUF13.
As part of the session, the main plans for preparation for the WUF13, modern approaches to urban development, as well as initiatives implemented by Azerbaijan were presented at the Azerbaijani stand.
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