BAKU, May 22 (Bernama-Azertac) — The hosting of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Azerbaijan has become a significant indication of the country’s increasing importance as an international hub for global dialogue, Nataly Mouravidze, Head of the EBRD Resident Office in Azerbaijan, said an exclusive interview with Azertac. According to her, the forum was organised at a very high level and brought together a broad range of participants, enabling substantive and practice-oriented discussions on key issues of sustainable urban development. She emphasised that following the hosting of COP29, Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its position on the international stage, placing special […]

The twelfth edition of the World Urban Forum wrapped up on Friday with the adoption of the Cairo Call to Action, after intense discussions focused on the global housing crisis and financing urbanizati...

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A landmark gathering of more than 57,000 participants – the largest in the history of the World Urban Forum – closed on Friday in Baku with an urgent call to rethink how the world houses its people, as a new roadmap urges governments, cities and communities to act collectively on a crisis affecting billions.

A missed warning sign. A forged cheque. A passport confiscated in a foreign country. Within months, the life Latyr Thioye had built began to unravel.

From Thailand to Jordan, from Brazil to Germany, new approaches to housing are quietly taking shape. Residents of informal settlements once facing eviction are rebuilding their communities with state support. Refugees and host communities are reclaiming neglected spaces, turning them greener and safer. In Brazil, favelas are being upgraded rather than torn down, while in Germany, rent controls are helping to steady the market.

Now is the time to place housing at the heart of sustainable development. That was the message delivered on Monday by UN Secretary General António Guterres to participants at a global forum on urban sustainability under way this week in Baku.

Ministers, mayors, international organisations, urban planners and experts are in Baku, Azerbaijan, to tackle one of the world’s fastest-growing challenges: the global housing crisis, which, according to the United Nations, affects nearly 2.8 billion people worldwide.

Soaring housing costs, climate shocks and conflicts are leaving millions without adequate shelter – but what can be done? As the 13th UN World Urban Forum opens on Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan, participants will grapple with solutions to a deepening global housing crisis.

While land tenure security is well-defined and supported by robust institutions in the Global North, the concept remains ambiguous and heavily contested in the Global South, particularly in Africa. Hi...

Mehr als 57.000 Fachleute aus 176 Ländern kamen zum 13. World Urban Forum (WUF13) der Vereinten Nationen in Baku, der Hauptstadt von Aserbaidschan, zusammen. Im Mittelpunkt standen bezahlbares Wohnen,...