President Ilham Aliyev received Anaclaudia Rossbach, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), on May 16.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, Anaclaudia Rossbach expressed her deep impression of the work carried out in Baku regarding the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13). She commended Azerbaijan's innovative approaches to organizing the prestigious event, noting that these efforts lay a solid foundation for a more meaningful session. Rossbach also highlighted the significance of Azerbaijan hosting WUF13 following the successful hosting of COP29, emphasizing that Azerbaijan has effectively created a synergy between these two major UN events.
The guest highly appreciated Azerbaijan's voluntary financial contributions to UN-Habitat's activities and praised the tradition of National Urban Forums held in the country. She expressed confidence that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and UN-Habitat would continue to flourish in the future.
President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan has taken all necessary steps to ensure the event is held at the highest level. The head of state recalled his recent visit to the Baku Olympic Stadium to inspect the preparations for WUF13, expressing optimism that the forum would be results-oriented. He further noted that Azerbaijan's experience in urban planning, as well as the large-scale restoration and construction work being carried out in the liberated territories in the post-conflict period, serve as a model for other nations, adding that Azerbaijan is ready to share this expertise.
Following the meeting, a Letter of Intent was signed between the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UN-Habitat. The document aims to develop operational guidelines based on the "Baku standards" of WUF13 to support future hosts of the World Urban Forum in their decision-making and organizational processes, aiming to increase operational efficiency for subsequent events.
The World Urban Forum, established by the United Nations in 2001, is the world's premier conference on sustainable urbanization. Azerbaijan's selection as a host for the 13th session underscores its growing international profile and its commitment to sustainable development following the restoration of its territorial integrity in the Garabagh region.
