Baku, May 16, AZERTAC
The South African newspaper “Pretoria News” has published an article highlighting Azerbaijan’s hosting of the 13th Session of the UN World Urban Forum (WUF13).
The article mentioned that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree declaring 2026 the “Year of Urban Planning and Architecture” in the Republic of Azerbaijan. “The move establishes a national framework focused on urban planning policy, architectural culture, and sustainable development, timed to coincide with the country’s hosting of the 13th World Urban Forum in Baku from 17–22 May 2026,” it further said.
The author emphasized that Baku will host WUF13 under the UN-Habitat theme “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities,” which is expected to bring together around 2,000 participants from more than 130 countries to address one of the defining challenges of the decade – housing.
“Nearly three billion people globally face some form of housing inadequacy, including over 1.1 billion living in informal settlements and more than 300 million experiencing homelessness. Pressures are intensifying due to climate change, rapid urbanisation and widening inequality,” the article underlined.
“Azerbaijan’s selection as host reflects growing international confidence in its capacity to manage complex multilateral processes. That confidence was reinforced by the country’s hosting of COP29 in December 2024,” the author stated.
The article also highlighted the ongoing construction and restoration efforts in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, saying that hosting the forum gives Azerbaijan a platform to showcase its own urban achievements, most notably in the formerly conflict-affected territories of Garabagh and East Zangezur.