In 2026, the world’s largest gathering on sustainable urban development will take place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The 13th session of the United Nations’ World Urban Forum (WUF13) will first time ever take place in the South Caucasus.
The World Urban Forum has been organized by the UN Habitat Program since 2001. The first session of the forum was held in Kenya, and the 2024 session was held in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and 25,000 delegates from 185 countries participated in the event. This forum is the most prestigious event in the field of urban planning and is a platform for the exchange of experiences and ideas with a large number of participants. The forum, held every two years, is mainly focused on rapid urbanization, which is one of the challenges of the modern era. UN-Habitat’s New Urban Agenda emphasizes inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience. As the world faces unprecedented urban challenges—from the climate crisis to migration pressures—convening WUF13 in Baku offers a timely opportunity for dialogue and innovation. Modern cities face huge challenges: climate change, migration pressures etc and the world needs to protect forests, water resources etc.
According to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to housing, as well as access to clean water and sanitation. However, in the modern world, urban development is not sustainable, orderly and planned in all countries of the world. Considering the large number of slums in different countries of the world and the lack of normal access to water sources and sanitation facilities due to irregular settlement, the forum touches on the hottest and most pressing issues of today and the future.
During the forum, a large number of urban planning specialists, experts, and civil society representatives will come together and exchange views on the topic. Thus, another challenge of global importance and the issues arising from this challenge will be discussed in Azerbaijan. Hosting WUF13 is more than a being a home for a conference, over the past two decades, Baku has transformed to a modern metropolis defined by ambitious cultural projects like the Zaha Hadid designed Heydar Aliyev Center etc.
By hosting WUF13, Azerbaijan will be the center which will put the urbanisation challenges on the table for the globe. By 2026, the country will be expected to demonstrate real progress on decarbonizing its economy and greening its urban development.
For the South Caucasus, it is an unprecedented chance to learn from cities that have pioneered green transport systems, inclusive housing models, and participatory urban governance.
The holding of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum in Azerbaijan on May 17-21, 2026 is of great importance on a global and regional scale. Azerbaijan has extensive experience in hosting large-scale international events, including COP29. The confidence of influential organizations in holding large-scale conferences, forums, and events in Azerbaijan is also due to the successful results that the country has demonstrated in this direction every time. But the main goal here is to achieve a point that the problem of rapid urbanization could somehow turn into sustainable issue and not to violate the fundamental rights of the people to acces normal life conditions.
The World Urban Forum will offer a platform for Azerbaijan and for UN countries to share their vision for sustainable cities, also to discuss the most ultimate challenge of the future – rapid urbanization.
Ms. Ulviyya Zulfikar is Political Scientist.
