Azerbaijan's urban transformation and development priorities will be showcased at the "Urban Expo" exhibition, held as part of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) at the Baku Olympic Stadium. Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture and national coordinator of WUF13, announced that the exhibition features a diverse range of participants, with civil society representatives making up the majority of the organizations involved.
According to Operative Information Center-OMM, Guliyev provided a breakdown of the participants during a press conference, noting the inclusion of 15 academic and research institutions, 136 civil society organizations, 44 private sector entities, and 14 startups. Furthermore, the expo hosts 41 national pavilions, 10 state-sector companies, and six local and regional government representatives. The Azerbaijan pavilion, spanning 1,500 square meters, is designed around the concept of "from vision to action with people," highlighting the country's rich heritage, urban evolution, and large-scale reconstruction projects currently underway in Garabagh and East Zangazur.
The event also serves as a platform for international cooperation, with Azerbaijan intending to collaborate with UN-Habitat to develop a joint operational guide for future World Urban Forum hosts based on standards established by the WUF13 Azerbaijan Operating Company. A significant milestone of the forum is the national adoption of the ISO 20121 standard, which underscores Azerbaijan's commitment to organizing large-scale international events in a sustainable and responsible manner. The World Urban Forum, established by the United Nations, is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization, and hosting WUF13 in Baku reflects Azerbaijan's growing role in global urban policy and post-conflict reconstruction.
