Cities are no longer merely places where people live and work, but have evolved into strategic platforms for global interaction, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated today.
According to Operative Information Center-OMM, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov made these remarks during an event titled "Cities at the Heart of Connectivity: Urban Reconstruction and Regional Cooperation," held as part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).
The Foreign Minister emphasized that modern urban centers now serve as the intersection of diplomacy, trade, infrastructure, technology, climate action, and regional cooperation. "The future of sustainable development will largely depend on how successfully we connect our cities not only physically, but also economically, digitally, institutionally, and socially," Jeyhun Bayramov noted. He further highlighted that as the host of COP29, Azerbaijan has placed urbanization at the center of the global climate agenda, recognizing that while cities contribute significantly to global emissions, they are also the primary drivers of innovation and resilience in solving the climate crisis.
The World Urban Forum (WUF), established by the United Nations in 2001, is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization. It examines the most pressing issues facing the world today, including rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, economies, and climate change. Azerbaijan's active participation in WUF13 underscores the country's commitment to sustainable urban development and its growing role in international climate diplomacy following its successful hosting of major global summits in Baku.
