Global cooperation and local implementation are essential for achieving sustainable urban development, according to Nga Kor Ming, the President of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Assembly. Speaking at the Ministerial Meeting on the New Urban Agenda during the Thirteenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), he emphasized that the international community must move beyond messaging to achieve tangible results on the ground.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Nga Kor Ming, who also serves as Malaysia’s Minister of Housing and Local Government, highlighted the next decade as a critical period for urbanization policy. He noted that the assembly serves as the highest decision-making platform for urban development, providing guidance to member states. "We must not be satisfied with just delivering global messages. We must implement the New Urban Agenda locally and achieve real results," he stated, adding that coordination between national and local levels is vital.
The World Urban Forum, established by the United Nations in 2001, is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization. WUF13 serves as a platform for stakeholders to address the challenges of rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, economies, and climate change. Azerbaijan has been an active participant in these global urban discussions, recently hosting the National Urban Forum and emphasizing sustainable "smart city" development in its liberated territories, including Shusha and Aghdam, as part of the national reconstruction efforts.
