Opening Ceremony - Thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13)

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss Anna Claudia Rossbach, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive director of United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN habitat.
Good Sunday morning in Baku.
Beautiful Baku.
Welcome to the World Urban Forum 13 in the name of UN-Habitat.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it's now a great pleasure to welcome.
The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Mr.
Ilham Aliyev, for his opening statement.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, first of all, I'd like to welcome all the participants of the World Urban Forum in Baku and wish the forum success.
We have probably the record number of registered participants.
This morning I got information that we have more than 45,000 registered participants from 182 countries.
So.
This is a second biggest international event ever held in Azerbaijan after Cop 29, which was held one year and a half ago.
And I hope that the outcome of the WUF13 will be as successful as Cop 29.
I think that during these days in Baku, many of our guests who visited us for the first time will have opportunity to know our country, our city better, and to see with their own eyes what is being done in Azerbaijan with respect to urban development.
Azerbaijan is situated between Europe and Asia and always was and is the place where East meets West, and this also is reflected in our country's architecture.
So if you walk inside the ancient walls of the old city of Baku and just cross the street, you will find yourself in an absolutely modern surroundings of Baku Boulevard, which used to be free and now is more than 15km of the seaside promenade area.
And next to that are the buildings of 19th century, which were designed and built by European architects.
So this natural harmony in Baku, between old and new, between the preservation of our historical heritage and need for urban planning and modernization, really is a vivid demonstration of the talent of our ancestors and how we are preserving our historical and architectural heritage.
Urban planning, not only for Baku, but for many cities of Azerbaijan, is something which we are working on daily basis.
This year, by my decree was declared the Year of Urban Planning.
I'd like to express gratitude to UN-Habitat for their support in organization of this event, for cooperation and for entrusting us with the.
This very responsible duty to be a host WUF13.
Since 2022, we, together with UN-Habitat, held three national urban fora in Azerbaijan, in Aghdam, Zangilan and Kandi.
The cities which were under occupation for many years, and today organizing the global gathering.
We once again demonstrate our strong commitment to urban planning, urban development, to our agenda to make life of the people better, and to provide our population with all necessary means in order to feel themselves comfortably.
Not only Baku, but many of Azerbaijani ancient cities can be proud of their architecture.
I will name just some of them.
Shamakhi, once the capital of the state of Shirvanshahs, the birthplace of the great Azerbaijani poet of 14th century, Nasimi has one of the oldest mosques in the world, which was built in 743.
Nakhchivan, once the capital of the state of Atabegs, the birthplace of the great Azerbaijani architect Ajami Nakhchivani, has the monument built by him, which is called Maimuna Khatun Mausoleum, dated 12th century ganja, one of the oldest cities in the world.
The birthplace of another great Azerbaijani poet, Nizami Ganjavi of 12th century.
Today is developing at the same time, like Baku, preserving its historical look.
Gabala and Sheki, the capital and one of the main cities of state of Caucasian Albania, have numerous historical monuments, and the church in the village of Kish, near Sheki, is probably one of the oldest in the world.
Another example of the talent of our ancestors is the village of Lahij.
15th centuries ago, when the village was created, the people built the sewage system and water pipeline, which is functional today.
The crown of Karabakh Shusha, which was under occupation for almost 30 years now, is being constructed from almost scratch and its damaged fortress have been restored.
All what I mentioned and of course, Baku, with its sixth century maiden tower, all these monuments not only have been built by our ancestors, not only survived invasions, devastations, destructions, and being rebuilt and restored by different generations of Azerbaijanis, but are also preserved today.
And all of those which I mentioned, everyone can go see, get inside and touch.
And I think this is the best indication of our attitude to our historical heritage, to our legacy.
We are proud of it, proud of our ancient history, which is reflected not only in our music poems, but also in architecture.
And our duty is to preserve it for the next generations, and the next generation will do the same, I'm sure.
And today, with all understanding about the necessity of urban development, especially in the capital cities, we must be brave and cautious.
I sometimes compare it with the Formula One race in Baku, which, by the way, is one of the few races which is a city circuit.
So the speed on the main speed street is more than 300km/h, and then the pilots have to push the brake and squeeze their bullets into a street with a seven metres width, just one meter next to the ancient mural Hiroshima of the Caucasus because the city just did not exist.
They were totally leveled to the ground, and unlike Hiroshima, it was done not in one day as a result of atomic bomb, but it was done during 30 years of occupation when the buildings, historical buildings and public buildings and houses were just dismantled completely destroyed.
So now the program of big return is being implemented, and the master plans for cities and villages are prepared.
Just I can, of course, bring a lot of figures, but only bring two.
The lengths of the tunnels which we are building now.
In five years, 70km have already been built, five more to be built, 435 bridges have been built out of 500.
So this was done along with power stations along with water supply, water storages, houses, schools, hospitals, free international airports, railroads.
And this was done only in five years.
And this is how the owners of the land.
How the owners of the land behave, unlike those who come only to demolish, to destroy and to bring sufferings.
Today, more than 85,000 of Azerbaijanis already live in the former occupied territories They work, they live, they study, and they.
Employment is also one of the important targets in front of our government.
So prior to building the apartments and private houses for them, schools and hospitals, of course we have to do demining.
But at the same time we have to think about employment.
So numerous industrial zones which are already created and will be created in those areas, definitely will support the rapid return of, uh, hundreds of thousands of people who were deprived from their fundamental rights, right, to leave on their own land.
Talking about Baku, a couple of things more.
We had to do a lot of environmental works.
Baku was the first city in the world where the oil was produced back in 1846.
And throughout these 180 years, almost all these years, there was zero respect to environmental protection.
So Baku was heavily polluted.
And if I name some parts of the of Baku, like Black City Bibi-Heybat, Blackshore, maybe for foreigners it doesn't mean anything.
But if you have time to visit these places and to have some video footage or pictures, how they looked, say, 20 years ago and how they look now, you will see what has been done in order to create environmentally friendly space in Baku instead of black city, which was heavily polluted.
And that is why it was called Black City.
Today we have White City, the model of urban development.
It's a city inside the city.
Another demonstration of urban development is a resort city, sea breeze, and I highly recommend our visitors to go there, especially those who like to swim in cold water.
I know some of them.
They are in this hall to go.
Just to see another example of the modern urban development.
In last 20 years, we created 100 parks and squares.
Gardens in Baku and 19 have been totally renovated, environmentally friendly cities with a quick access to public transportation, micromobility, underground modern buses which generate their power from electricity.
All that is being done as a whole concept for the capital and not only capital.
As I said, in many parts of Azerbaijan, the urban development goes very rapidly, and definitely this important gathering and expertise of our friends from United Nations and numerous guests who visited us will help all of us to learn more, to learn from each other, to learn positive experience, and also to talk about our mistakes.
There have been many mistakes made in the process of development, but I think that period is already in the past.
Don't want to take much of your time.
I can also speak as a guide for Baku, but I think better will be for you to see everything with your own eyes.
I wish all the guests pleasant.
Stay in Baku and the World Urban Forum.
Success.
Thank you Ladies and gentlemen.
We will now listen to a statement by video from the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency, Mr.
Antonio Guterres.
I send greetings to the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku.
You meet amidst a surge of global crisis, including conflicts, mounting energy costs and the prospect of rising food prices.
Today's agenda focuses on the challenge we talk about less often the global housing crisis.
Nearly 3 billion people live in inadequate housing, often in informal settlements and slums.
No society is immune from fast growing cities in the developing world to advance their economies with high rents and rising homelessness.
In my student days volunteering in some of Lisbon's poorest neighbourhoods, I saw how profoundly housing affects people's health, education and future.
A secretary general.
I'm proud that the pact for the future and the Doha Political Declaration recognize housing as a priority, and I welcome the upcoming ten year review of the new urban agenda.
Now is the time to put housing at the center of sustainable development by expanding access to housing that is adequate, safe and affordable, transforming informal settlements and slums, and addressing inequalities that inflame social tensions.
Housing is a human right and fundamental for human dignity.
Let this World Urban Forum be a catalyst to make it a shared reality.
Together, we can house the world, leaving no one behind.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen.
We'll now listen to a statement by video from the president of the United Nations General Assembly her Excellency, Miss Annalena Baerbock.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, affordable, safe and decent housing is a fundamental human right.
It is a foundation of dignity, health, security and opportunity.
Yet today that foundation remains out of reach for far too many people.
With more than 1.1 billion people still living in informal settlements or slums, and more than 300 million people homeless, the consequences extend far beyond housing alone Without safe housing, health erodes.
Education is disrupted, insecurity deepens, inequality hardens, and communities become more vulnerable to climate shocks and disasters.
The 13th session of the World Urban Forum, therefore, comes at an important moment.
It provides an opportunity to strengthen action on the housing crisis, while connecting that work to the broader challenge of sustainable urbanization.
The participation of 28000 people at this forum reflects both the depth of global engagement and the scale of the responsibility before us.
Let us be clear there are no simple solutions to a crisis of this scale.
Building more houses is necessary, but it will not be enough on its own.
What is required is a systematic approach that connects housing with infrastructure, basic services, climate resilience financing and inclusive planning.
Such an approach also depends on broad participation, because sustainable urban development cannot be delivered by governments alone, it requires local authorities, communities, civil society, the private sector and experts, as well as residents themselves to help shape the cities in which they live.
Indeed, people should therefore be treated not only as beneficiaries of development but also as active contributors to it.
In this regard, the new urban agenda remains our shared blueprint.
Its emphasis on inclusive, safe resilient and sustainable cities is a relevant today as it was when it was adopted ten years ago.
This anniversary offers an opportunity, an important opportunity to assess where progress has been made, where gaps remain and how implementation can be accelerated.
In July, the General Assembly will convene a two day high level meeting for the mid-term review of the new urban agenda.
That meeting will provide an opportunity to renew political commitment and strengthen implementation.
I trust that your deliberations at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum will be meaningful, inclusive and practical, and that they will help inform negotiations on the political declaration in New York.
I wish you a successful forum and look forward to welcome many of you to New York in July.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome.
The president of the United Nations Habitat Assembly His Excellency, Mr.
Nga Kor Ming for his opening statement.
Your Excellency, you Aliyev, president of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Excellencies, Heads of State and Government.
Madam Executive Director of UN habitat, honourable ministers, mayors, distinguished delegates ladies and gentlemen, it is a profound honor to stand before you in the historic city of Baku, at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road and a city of the future with its modern skyline on the Caspian Sea.
I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the government and the people of Azerbaijan for their extremely extraordinary hospitality and vision.
I also acknowledge the message delivered to us by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the president of the General Assembly, Miss Anna Lena Baerbock.
We take note that the global urban agenda has never been more urgent as the basis for multilateral cooperation.
Excellencies, as Baku becomes the capital of the world during this 13 World Urban Forum, let us recall a fundamental promise when we fail to provide housing we are breaking a promise to our children.
Hence the theme of this global forum housing the world safe and resilient cities and communities is not merely a slogan, it is a call to immediate action.
But let us also remember that this call to action must be grounded in the real world and in the real economy.
It might be aspirational to want to house the world, but we will only be boiling the ocean if we do not have the political will, the right policy, and the economic resilience to build and house all our citizens.
According to UN-Habitat, the world is facing a global housing crisis affecting nearly 2.9 billion people, with one in every four people living in informal settlements.
Furthermore, over 2 billion urban dwellers will be impacted by an increase of at least 0.5°C by 2040.
For those trapped in inadequate housing, these are not just numbers.
They represent a critical threat to survival.
As president of the UN Habitat Assembly, I see these pressures converging.
Yesterday, over 80 ministers gathered here for an informal ministerial meeting to prepare for the high level mid-term review on the new urban agenda in New York.
All of us, in our own way, are grappling with similar urban challenges.
However, if we unite in common shared purpose, we shall overcome together.
I'm here to tell you that we do not face it alone.
Instead, let us double our efforts to localize the implementation of the new urban agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
As you know, the Habitat Assembly established the Intergovernmental Working Group on Adequate Housing for all.
This is our historic platform for multi lateral cooperation, the bridge that connects global policy to local delivery.
Excellencies, while I stand here as president of the Assembly, I'm also guided by the experiences of my home nation, Malaysia, its journey implementing the new urban agenda is guided by our Malaysia Madani vision.
We have delivered over 1.1 million affordable homes, achieving a 77% home ownership rate.
We have also surpassed our green targets with the planting of 150 million trees.
Furthermore, 60% of the local authorities have completed voluntary local reviews, providing that when government is strong and communities are empowered, the SDGs move from the policy to positive impact on the ground.
Excellencies, I ask you today, when you look at your city maps do not just look at roads and zones, see the faces, see the young entrepreneur in a slum who needs a legal address to start a business.
See the families in the coastal cities at risk from rising sea levels.
Let us commit to human centred urbanism.
Let us bridge the $5.4 trillion annual financing gap for climate resilient infrastructure.
As I prepare to pass the mandate of president to the United Arab Emirates next year, I invite you all to contribute to WUF13.
Call to action.
Let us make it a legacy document that is both ambitious and inspirational.
Excellencies head of government, our host in Azerbaijan understand the true value and importance of having a home.
There is a beautiful saying here.
In us, every US city means every home is their own center of the world, their sanctuary.
The feeling of being at home is especially critical when we when the world feel unstable, when the institutions falter, and when technology transforms our societies in those moments, remember this the future does not belong to those who predict it.
It belongs to those who build it.
And our task this week to be the builders of an urban future for all.
Once again, I'm inspired by the Azerbaijani proverb that resonates deeply with our work.
Dama dama.
Go! Ocala.
Aha! Aha! Sal.
Ocala.
Drop by drop.
A lake is formed, and by flowing a river is made.
Let us take the wisdom from Azerbaijan and make this a better world.
So every policy you debate, every partnership you forge, and every commitment you make in the Baku call to action is a drop of hope.
Together, let us create a river of action that carries us towards a future.
And no one and no place is left behind.
I hereby wish you all a productive and transformative WUF13.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's now a pleasure to once again welcome the Executive Director of UN habitat, Miss AnnaClaudia Rossbach, for her opening statement.
His Excellency Doctor Ilham Aliyev, president of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
His Excellency Mr.
Nga Kor Ming , president of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, excellencies, heads of States and governments present ministers, honourable representatives of Member States and local authorities, distinguished colleagues and guests, all protocols observed.
Let me correct my initial welcome.
I wanted to say welcome to a sunny day in Baku.
It is Monday.
We all know that we all have to work this week and very hard.
Excellencies, we may not know what the future holds, but we do know the realities people face today.
The climate crisis, displacement, conflict and destruction.
Amid these challenges, over a billion people still live in precarious conditions without reliable access to water, sanitation, electricity, decent work or education, trapped in poor health conditions where disease spreads and children suffer most.
This is the world where most people will soon live in cities.
Cities where many young people, older persons, migrants and newcomers cannot afford to leave cities where more people are pushed onto the streets and into informal settlements.
Cities increasingly divided between those who have and those who do not.
Excellencies, colleagues.
It is no surprise that tens of thousands of us from communities around the globe to high level leaders, are gathered here in Baku to address one critical question how, in this era of uncertainty instability and destruction, can adequate housing be made available to all? Despite the intense rainfall and thunderstorms that have affected parts of Azerbaijan in recent days, we could see that yesterday, your Excellency, we have come together here in Baku with resilience.
This is what we call for cities, determination and a shared sense of purpose.
This is the reality of many cities today, and we deeply appreciate the team spirit, the quick reaction and your flexibility that brought us today to this beautiful venue.
Thank you so much.
The level of interest and participation in WUF13 has been truly exceptional.
Never before has a forum of this nature brought together such a vast and diverse global audience, reflecting the growing recognition that housing and sustainable urban development are central to our collective future.
So let us remind ourselves that collectively, we are not starting from scratch.
Across all regions, housing is becoming a central policy priority linked to economic growth, social inclusion and climate resilience.
Across Africa, governments are advancing affordable housing, informal settlements, upgrading and infrastructure investment in Asia and the Pacific.
Several countries are pursuing urban renewal, affordability and large scale housing expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Social housing and transit oriented development are gaining momentum.
In the Middle East, housing is increasingly tied to economic diversification and demographic change, while in Europe and North America, governments are strengthening affordable housing, rent regulation and supply focused reforms in response to growing urban pressures.
France as the world turns its attention to housing, let us also remind ourselves of the common principles and perspectives we already share.
We recognize that the housing crisis is a crisis of equity, resilience, and human rights, and that the future of our cities will be shaped not by exclusion, but by inclusion.
Cities cannot thrive when housing systems fall.
We know that when people lose their homes, they lose far more than walls and roofs.
They lose safety, livelihoods and a sense of belonging.
Recognizing that the right to housing is increasingly threatened by climate, threatened by climate change, we also share a growing consensus that climate action and housing policy can no longer exist.
In separate conversations, recovery begins with housing, and resilience begins at home.
The homes we built today must withstand the climate realities of tomorrow.
We therefore share the conviction that housing must move from the margins of policy to the center of global action as we explore the economic and financial dimensions of housing we collectively recognize that housing is a social necessity and also a powerful economic engine.
Realizing the social and economic potential of housing requires financial systems that finance homes, not speculation.
The mid-term review of the new urban agenda has confirmed both the urgency of today's urban challenges and the enduring value of the commitments made in Quito.
WUF13 is an opportunity to accelerate implementation through practical action, partnerships and investments.
It is time to focus on solutions.
What are the pathways to achieving adequate housing for all? Where have we gone wrong and what must we do differently to move forward? Thus, UN-Habitat have the solution to the global housing crisis.
Do we have all the answers for the nearly 3 billion people living with inadequate housing for the more than 1 billion living in slums, or 300 million people experiencing homelessness? I will not pretend that we do.
But let me add this every one of you, without exception, holds a piece of the answer.
And that is precisely what this collective effort is seeking.
We do not take lightly the time cost and, dare I say, the climate impact of gathering here together.
It is both our responsibility and our privilege to listen and learn from one another's experience and bring our knowledge together.
Baku must send a clear message to the high level meeting of the General Assembly this July.
We must move from recognizing the housing crisis to advancing the achievement of the SDGs through concrete policies, investments and action.
My hope is that we leave Baku with renewed confidence that despite today's global challenges, adequate housing can be within reach for all without exception.
In closing, I would like to thank the Government of Azerbaijan for hosting the 13th session of the World Urban Forum.
It is now my pleasure to officially declare the session open.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen.
We now have the pleasure to screen the official WUF13 video by the host country, Azerbaijan.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the World Urban Forum opening ceremony continues with voices shaping the conversation on the future of our cities across the world.
We are pleased to welcome stakeholders from around the world to deliver their statements in 30 minutes.
Thank you.