Closing Ceremony of the Thirteenth Session of the World Urban Forum - WUF13 (WUF13)

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the closing.
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The war in.
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Ladies and gentlemen, the closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum is now about to begin.
Please take your seats.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, the closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum is now about to begin.
Please take your seats.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, the closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum is now about to begin.
Please take your seats.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, the closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum is now about to begin.
Please take your seats.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed participants.
Dear friends, we are very pleased to welcome each and every one of you to the closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum.
Over the past days, the World Urban Forum brought together a diverse group of stakeholders and Member States to discuss a broad variety of issues relating to the most pressing issues.
Under the theme Holding the World Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities.
Let's now watch a video produced by UN-Habitat showing some glimpses of Wolf 13.
For Azerbaijan hosting.
Wolf 13 is both a found responsibility.
We are very proud that Baku, a city where rich history and modern transformation meet, has become a global platform for this important milestone.
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.
The first place where opportunity begins or where it is denied is a home Yet for more than one out of every three people on our planet, there is no adequate physical manifestation of what a home is.
More than 1.1 billion people live in informal settlements, and over 300 million have no housing at all.
We once again demonstrate our strong commitment to urban planning and urban development, to our agenda to make life of the people better.
We must be brave in development in creation of better conditions for our people.
Every one of you, without exception, holds a piece of the answer.
And that is precisely what this collective effort is seeking.
It is both our responsibility and our privilege to listen and learn from one another's experience and bring our knowledge together.
The time for incremental progress has passed.
The time for delivering at scale with a sense of urgency through genuine partnerships is now.
My hope is that we leave Baku with renewed confidence that despite today's global challenges, adequate housing can be within reach for all.
Ladies and gentlemen, in the past six days, Baku, a city where tradition and modernity live side by side, has had the great honor of hosting thousands of people from around the world, all contributing to the successful organization of Wolf 13.
Inspired by this spirit, today's performance.
Rhythm of Love from element to Harmony explores how different forces, strength and tenderness tradition, and innovation can come together in harmony.
Let's now sit back and enjoy the host country cultural performance entitled Rhythm of Love from element to Harmony.
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Battleship.
My insan olma.
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E cinemas sa Ole Davidson o asa Alves da da e.
Ya.
Ya.
Ya.
I'm on, I'm on.
I'm on, I'm on.
I'm on, I'm on.
Oh oh ya.
I'm on, I'm on, I'm.
On.
Ya.
I'm on.
I am.
I am.
Ladies and gentlemen, we now will move to the high level statements at this closing ceremony.
First we have the pleasure to invite our Her Excellency, Miss Amina Mohamed, United Nations Deputy Secretary General, to deliver her statement.
His Excellency, the Foreign Minister.
Hikmat Tashev, the.
The presidential advisor, his Excellency Mr.
Kolev, the chairman of the State Committee for the Urban Planning and Architecture of Azerbaijan, her Excellency Victoria Romero, the Ambassador of Mexico to Azerbaijan.
My sister, Miss Ana Claudia Rossbach, the executive director of UN-Habitat, representatives of local and regional governments, youth, civil society, the private sector and academia.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.
Assalamualaikum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
And now maybe I can say hello, Baku.
It is my sincere pleasure to be with you as we bring this forum to a close, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the government and to the people of Azerbaijan for their extraordinary generosity and leadership in hosting the 13th World Urban Forum here in Baku by declaring 2026 the Year of Urban Planning and Architecture Azerbaijan has elevated urbanism to the global stage, honoring centuries old traditions while advancing progressive approaches that meet the new challenges of our world.
Across Azerbaijan, we see reconstruction, development reintegrating communities, rebuilding infrastructure and peace, and transforming territories into engines of cultural vitality, social cohesion and economic growth.
Here in Baku, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, we have also witnessed renewal and resilience.
This has been a fitting place for this works.
This week's discussions as climate change and urban pressures are driving ever more frequent and intensive impacts worldwide.
The heavy rain and thunderstorms that struck Azerbaijan in recent days are stark reminders of the resilience, the determination and the unity that we must summon to counter these new realities.
I wish to express my deepest thanks to the staff from Azerbaijan to UN-Habitat and across the UN system for their unwavering dedication and professionalism, which has been instrumental to the success of this forum, ladies and gentlemen, today, when most of human humanity is urban, I've come to think of cities as the architecture of priorities, designing with people at the heart.
People show what we should choose to build, how we choose to build it, and how we should shape it together.
The lived realities of the human being.
Our shared future is, for the most part, a story about territorial planning.
And at its heart it is the story about homes, about our houses.
Home is where dignity begins.
It is essential starting point for a healthy and safe and dignified, productive life.
Yet the global housing crisis we have heard described this week is enormous in scope and the human cost.
And we all know why Because of rapid urbanization, because of conflicts, more of which are taking place now than in any point of history since World War Two.
Because of the deep inequalities and injustice that has been allowed to continue because of the climate we have changed and are still changing.
Wind storms, fires and flooding are impacting people worldwide, devastating infrastructure and the economies, and underscoring the urgent need for resilient territorial planning.
With predictions of the 2026 El Nino Every investment must be turned into long term resilience and our preparedness.
This requires robust insurance systems that protect livelihoods, strengthen infrastructure and reduce vulnerability, ensuring that our communities are safeguarded against future disasters.
Excellencies, there is no pathway to achieving the 2030 agenda without sustainable urbanization and adequate housing.
Draw every great challenge of our time on a page And housing is the point at which they all converge.
Adequate housing requires clean water and sanitation, energy to cook a meal or heat or light a room.
It's about affordability, access, safety, security of tenure.
Enable these and new secure health, education, poverty eradication, gender equality, climate resilience and social inclusion.
This week we have spoken of housing as a development issue, a sustainable development issue, an economic issue and fundamentally a human rights issue.
Housing is an accelerator to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
And despite the crisis in housing this week, we have heard of remarkable progress in integrating urban and rural planning with the SDG framework as a guide.
Excellencies meeting a crisis of this scale requires an enormous amount of cooperation and solidarity, and we meet at a hard time for multilateralism.
The values and the principles of the UN charter are being challenged.
Tensions are sharper and trust is being threatened.
Division is gaining pace.
Yet what we have seen in Baku, Azerbaijan, this week is that cooperation is not only a thing that has ever worked, but it has worked on challenges that are monumental.
And one of the most powerful forms of cooperation right now is happening at local and regional levels, in mayors offices, in neighborhood associations, in partnerships between local and regional governments, civil society and the private sector, young people, women's groups and the communities themselves.
Local governments are the ones answering the form.
When the storm hits, they are the ones delivering water, transport, housing and decent work.
They are the ones who maintain the social contract and rebuild trust between people and institutions.
Recognizing this, the United Nations is placing engagement with local and regional governments at the center of its UN reform.
This is reflected in the Secretary General's 2025 report on recommendations to enhance the engagement of local and regional governments.
A central role in this effort is being addressed through the mid-term review of the new urban agenda.
In addition, local 2030 coalition, the United Nations system wide platform for localizing the 2030 agenda, is working with our UN country teams and resident coordinators in accelerating localization in all our countries.
Excellencies over the past day, close to 50,000 actually, over 50,000 participants from 176 countries have come together in Baku and virtually for one reason, to design decent, resilient and interconnected futures across urban and rural territories.
With people at the core, we must use the remaining window to 2030 to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals.
Accelerating this work will require financing, investment and scalable pipelines that are capable of building, recovering and reimagining the future of our cities.
The ministerial meeting on the new urban agenda that has been held here this week is a strong signal of renewed political will.
As we look ahead, the discussions here in Baku lay a strong foundation for July.
The high level meeting in the General Assembly on the mid-term review of the new urban agenda.
So we are leaving Baku with a clear message.
The next decade of the new urban agenda cannot look like the last one.
We need more ambition.
We need more financing.
We need more inclusion.
We need more action and resilience, more cooperation across levels of government, more political urgency and less patience for the gap between what we promise and what we deliver.
And so, excellencies, as cities are the humanity's oldest collective project, our mission now is to carry that project forward so that the cities reshape in this century our cities that include everyone, every house, and leave no one behind.
Our generation is not the first to take it on, and it will not be the last.
But may we be the first with the knowledge, the tools and the partnerships to meet it fully.
So take what we have learned and built here in Baku and carry it to your ministries, your city halls, your communities, and your boardrooms.
Carry that determination forward to New York in July, and from there to every town and city that someone calls home.
Can we do this, Baku? Thank you, thank you.
We now have the pleasure to invite His Excellency, Mr.
Arnold William, chairman of the State Committee of Urban Planning and Architecture, to deliver his closing statement.
Distinguished Deputy Secretary General, distinguished Under-Secretary-General, excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen as we conclude the session of the World Urban Forum, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Madame Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary General of the United States, for honoring us with her presence today.
I also extend our gratitude to Madame Ana Claudia Rosbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, for her leadership, commitment and partnership.
Throughout this important journey, I would like to express our special appreciation to the UN-Habitat team for close cooperation and invaluable support throughout the preparation of the successful organization of this forum.
Through this strong partnership, wolves 13 became a platform that reflected inclusivity, dialogue and our shared commitment to sustainable urban futures.
A special word of thanks go to the dedicated team of the Wolf 13 Azerbaijan Operating Company and the team of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture.
Through your exceptional dedication and tireless efforts, your transformed ambition into achievement and ensured the seamless delivery of a forum of extraordinary scale, diversity and importance.
I'm sure this big team members are busy, even right now with many operational issues, but in case we have some of them in this room, I would ask them to stand up and please join me in giving them warm applause.
Yeah, we need to know our heroes.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our volunteers.
2500.
2500 volunteers contributed to the organization and smooth operation of the forum, reflecting the professionalism, hospitality and dynamism of Azerbaijani youth.
You have been here of this forum welcoming the world with energy kindness and generosity.
Through your warmth and dedication, you have shown that the true success of any global gathering is measured by not only in outcomes, but also in the human connections it creates.
We are equally grateful to all participants, partners, organizers, interpreters, technicians, service providers, and to our public, private and civil society institutions.
It is your collective spirit that has given this forum its true meaning, bringing inclusivity to life and turning dialogue into the shared action.
Your commitment and collaboration have been the invisible strands behind every moment of success we have witnessed here in Baku.
Finally, I sincerely thank the people of Azerbaijan, whose openness and hospitality contributed greatly to the success of this forum and helped create an atmosphere of friendship, unity and shared purpose throughout.
Wolf 13.
Over the past days, wolves 13 held under the theme Housing the World Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities has become a truly global platform for dialogue, partnership and collective reflection on the future of our cities and communities.
The theme of Wolf 13 placed housing at the center of the global urban agenda and reaffirmed that access to adequate, affordable, safe and resilient housing remains one of the defining challenges of our time.
Throughout the forum, discussion highlighted that housing is not only a basic human necessity, but also a foundation for dignity, resilience, social inclusion, economic opportunity, and sustainable urban growth.
With 13 also underscored that addressing the global housing crisis requires effective multilateralism, stronger partnerships, innovative financing, and coordinated action at all levels.
This forum will be remembered not only for its scale but also for its innovative formats, inclusive participation and substantive outcomes.
The Leaders Statement segment, held for the first time in the history of the Wolf at the initiative of His Excellency Mr.
Ilham Aliyev, president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, became one of the defining moments of Wolf 13, the participation of 27 heads of state and government, high level guests and leaders of international organizations clearly demonstrated strong political commitment to advancing the global urban agenda and strengthening international cooperation in sustainable urban development.
Shared commitment to ensuring adequate housing and resilient communities for all.
Another important milestone of Wolf 13 was the reimagined ministerial meeting, held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan, to review the implementation of the new urban agenda.
Out of 111 participating countries, 80 were represented at the ministerial level.
This meeting was followed by thematic panels that created more interactive and solution oriented platform for dialogue on housing, climate resilience and social inclusion, as well as multilateral cooperation.
The rich exchange of views and practical recommendations generated through these discussions contributed significantly to the development of the chair's summary and helped build momentum toward the high level review of the new urban agenda at the United Nations high level meeting and General Assembly later this year.
Let me highlight some messages about the chair's summary, which will be later publicly available.
Wolf 13 was the largest ever, with 80, 58, 44, 58, and 44 participants from 176 countries, demonstrating the strengths of inclusive dialogue.
Impressed by innovative approaches applied in Wolf 13 preparations as well as the leaders statement segment introduced for the first time in the Wolf 13, the ministers welcomed joint intent by Azerbaijan and UN-Habitat to collaborate on developing operational guidelines for hosting future World Urban Forum sessions.
Ministerial recognized the visionary leadership of His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev, as well as the efforts of UN-Habitat and Executive Director Ana Claudia Rossbach, in providing this important platform for international cooperation on adequate housing and sustainable urbanization.
Housing emerged as a central entry point for inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban development.
Recognized as a human right and the foundation for dignity and opportunity.
Urban challenges are interconnected, requiring integrated planning across housing, transport, infrastructure, jobs, climate action, and public services.
Climate change also a housing is also a housing crisis, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups and informal settlements.
Clean air is not only an environmental issue but also a matter of public health, quality of life and sustainable urban planning.
Stronger multi-level governance, empowered local authorities, and predictable financing are essential.
Increased investment is needed in urban, in urban, municipal climate and affordable housing.
Finance.
Azerbaijan's hosting model and post-conflict reconstruction experience were recognized as valuable contributions to global urban discussions.
Also, strong support was expressed for the Smart Sustainable Settlements for Safe Return Package or for SRP.
As a practical recovery framework, the next decade must prioritize delivery, accountability and tangible improvements in people's lives.
Sustainable urban futures require solidarity, cooperation and shared responsibility from Baku The message is clear the time for ambition alone has passed.
The next decade must be defined by delivery, delivering adequate housing, resilient communities and sustainable urban futures for all distinguished guests.
The scale and diversity of the Wolf 13 program clearly reflected the growing global importance of urban issues.
More than 400 events were organized throughout the forum, including dialogues, special sessions, roundtables, assemblies and partner led events.
The forum featured 400 speakers from 125 countries in the main sessions.
The real strengths of the World Urban Forum lies in its inclusivity.
Wolf brings together diverse groups of society as equal partners in shaping the future of cities and communities.
In this regard we are pleased that Wolf 13 was broadly a stakeholder led forum fully reflecting the inclusive and participatory nature of the Wolf's process, including through the stakeholder composed Advisory Board that contributed to the development of the Baku call to action as a key outcome of Wolf 13.
For the first time, Wolf 13 hosted the NGO forum, bringing together around 800 participants from more than 100 countries.
This important platform highlighted the essential role of civil society, grassroots organizations and local communities in shaping inclusive, resilient and people centered urban futures.
NGO forum adopted the Baku Declaration on Urban Resilience and Global Cooperation, reaffirming the importance of solidarity, partnership and coordinated international action in addressing contemporary urban challenges, including the global housing crisis and the need for more inclusive urban development.
One of the most important innovations introduced at Wolf 13 was the establishment of the Business and Innovation Hub, which provided a dedicated platform for startups, private sector actors, investors, innovators, governments and development partners to engage in dialogue and cooperation.
It is encouraging that the private sector accounted for 13% of all participants, reflecting its growing role in advancing sustainable urban development.
Distinguished guests one of the key features of Wolf 13 was the Urban Expo, a dynamic and comprehensive component of the forum covering an area of more than 34,000m², with a total exhibition area of more than 10,000m², the Expo demonstrated the growing global engagement with the World Urban Forum process.
In total, 260 organizations from 81 countries participated through 122 stands and pavilions representing governments, academia, civil society, public institutions and the private sector.
The Azerbaijan Pavilion presented the country's vision and achievements through thematic areas dedicated to architectural heritage, sustainable urban planning, people centered cities, housing environment protection.
The Baku 2040 masterplan, the Great Return Program, Smart Cities and Villages Tourism Pavilion hosted around 30 events, with nearly 1500 local and international participants, and served as an important platform for dialogue, cooperation and knowledge exchange.
At the same time, the NGO Pavilion hosted 59 events with about 3000 local and international participants, reflecting the strong engagement and substantive contribution of Azerbaijan to the thematic agenda of the forum.
Distinguished delegates, as highlighted by the President Ilham Aliyev, during the opening ceremony.
Azerbaijan possesses a rich architectural heritage shaped by centuries of history and cultural traditions while rapidly advancing modern urban development.
We remain committed to preserving our cultural identity and architectural legacy.
In this context, 2026 has been declared the Year of Urban Planning and Architecture in Azerbaijan.
Throughout the forum, Azerbaijan shared its experience in Sustainable urban planning, the organization of national Urban Forums, and the large scale reconstruction and revitalization efforts underway in the liberated Karabakh and East Zangazur regions, which suffered urbicide ecocide and cultural shift during occupation.
The reconstruction process being implemented in the territories in these territories is unprecedented in scale and can serve as a model for other post-conflict situations through its own financial resources and national capacity, the country is building 12 cities and more than 300 villages from the ground up within the framework of the Great Return Program, ensuring the safe and dignified return of former internally displaced persons to their ancestral lands.
Master plans for about 110 cities, towns and villages have already been approved, while plans for other settlements are currently under development.
Distinguished guests A significant lasting legacy of Wolf 13 was the launch of the Baku Urban Award, initiated by Azerbaijan and organized together with UN-Habitat as the only award presented within the framework of the World Urban Forum process designed to bridge practice, knowledge and policy, the award reflects Azerbaijan's commitment to promoting innovation, excellence and international cooperation in sustainable urban development, and particularly in housing.
Wolf 13 extended far beyond the conference venue itself through the organization of the Baku Urban Week, which included 55 events and Wolf 13 festivals held across nine cities of Azerbaijan.
Discussions on sustainable urban development reach wider communities and engage more than 115,000 participants across the country The forum also attracted significant international attention, with more than 1000 accredited media representatives providing broad global coverage of Wolf 13 and helping amplify the importance of sustainable urbanization and international cooperation.
Another important legacy outcome of Wolf 13 was the signing of a letter of intent on application of the Baku standards for operational efficiency, to be followed by future World Urban Forum host countries.
Distinguished participants.
Now I am warm.
Now I want to warmly welcome Mexico to the Wolf family.
We believe that during your presence in Baku you felt at home.
We are ready to share our experience in the process of preparation of Wolf 14.
On the journey to Wolf 14, we will also have another important platform to advance the urban agenda and highlight housing challenges, namely Cop 31 in Turkey.
Now, Azerbaijan looks ahead to World Environment Day 2026, which Baku will proudly host in just a few weeks on 5th of June, bringing together professionals and practitioners to discuss climate issues, we will use this platform to further reflect on urban development challenges in the context of climate change.
Ladies and gentlemen, over these days, Baku once again demonstrated the importance of solidarity, partnership and effective multilateral cooperation in addressing global challenges.
With 13 has shown that adequate housing and resilient communities can only be achieved through shared responsibility, coordinated action, and strong international cooperation.
I hope you all enjoy your stay in Baku.
While Wolf 13 is coming to a close, the partnership strengthened, initiatives launched and commitments reaffirmed here in Baku will continue beyond this forum.
We hope these discussions, opportunities This and proposed solutions will be translated into concrete actions and contribute to addressing housing and homelessness challenges affecting 3.5 3.4 billion people worldwide.
And as highlighted in article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Housing is a human, and this right must be ensured for the benefit of all.
May the spirit of cooperation and shared responsibility that defined Wolf 13 inspire concrete action toward the implementation of the new urban agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly SDG 11, I thank you.
We now have the pleasure.
To invite Miss Anna Claudia Rosbach, Executive Director of UN habitat, for her closing statement.
Her Excellency Miss Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.
What a privilege.
His Excellency, Mr.
Jeyhun Bayramov Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Mr.
Hikmat Hajiyev, head of the Foreign Policy Affairs in the Presidential Administration, His Excellency, Mr.
Anar Guliyev Wolf, 13, National Coordinator and Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, His Excellency Mr.
Mukhtar Babayev, representative of the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan for climate issues, Her Excellency Miss Maria Vittoria Romero Caballero, Ambassador of Mexico in Azerbaijan.
Excellencies, ministers, honorable representatives of Member states, local authorities, distinguished colleagues and guests.
All protocols observed.
Wolf 13 brought together a record number of participants 57000 people from 176 countries here in Baku, including more than 3000 joining online, have delivered a powerful and united message.
We are at a decisive moment for the future of housing.
We can no longer afford the luxury of inaction.
The world must move from marginal progress to systemic transformation.
Housing systems across the globe are under immense pressure, strained by inequality, speculation, weak governance, rapid urbanization, displacement and the escalating impacts of the climate crisis.
Housing markets are clearly failing to meet people's needs.
Billions are being pushed into inadequate, unsafe and unaffordable living conditions.
Yet amid this urgency, there is also clarity and there is momentum.
This week, 11 heads of state and government, 88 ministers, 130 mayors, local and regional governments, civil society organizations, private sector leaders and communities came together around one fundamental truth housing is not a commodity alone.
Housing is a human right.
It is the foundation of dignity, inclusion, opportunity and climate resilience.
And it is one of the most powerful entry points for achieving for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The SDGs, including inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities.
As we mark the implementation midpoint of the new urban agenda, the message from Baku is clear the next decade must be defined by accelerated implementation, scaled delivery, and measurable impact in people's lives.
Ladies and gentlemen, the six dialogues ten special sessions, more than 350 partner led events and the vibrant expo have all reinforced the same call.
We need collective action grounded in people centred urban development.
First, we must restore housing as a public responsibility.
Second, we must empower cities and communities.
Third, we must end forced evictions and protect vulnerable communities.
Fourth, we must transform housing finance.
Fifth, we must strengthen data systems and ensure decisions are guided by reliable, community informed evidence.
And finally, we must build implementation systems that deliver with clear targets measurable accountability and genuine co-creation with communities.
Excellencies, dear friends, as we carry this momentum forward, my message is simple.
From Baku to New York through the High level Political forum on SDG 11 and the UN General Assembly mid-term review of the new urban agenda this July, we must place housing at the center of the second decade of implementation and recognize it as a key accelerator of the SDGs.
From there to Turkey for Cop 21 and to UAE for the UN Water Conference, we must ensure that housing is fully integrated in into both the climate and water agendas as we move forward.
Please count on UN-Habitat support through our presence in more than 90 countries and through global initiatives such as the open ended Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing and the UN local 2030 coalition.
We now look ahead with excitement to Wolf 14 in Mexico.
Before closing, allow me to once again express my deepest gratitude to the government of Azerbaijan and in particular to the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture and to you and all your staff, Gulshan and the whole team.
The office of the president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for hosting us so graciously here in Baku.
Azerbaijan.
You demonstrated resilience, vision and extraordinary commitment.
You showed the world not only the capacity to build, but the capacity to rebuild and transform.
To the UN-Habitat team.
For the past two years, you have worked tirelessly to deliver a forum that was substantive, innovative and impactful.
Your professionalism, passion and dedication have been truly remarkable.
To our UN colleagues.
Your strong presence here reflected the true spirit of one UN.
To the UN Department of Safety and Security.
Thank you for taking care of us, of both with both firmness and kindness.
To the Wolf 13 Operations Company.
Volunteers.
Interpreters, caterers, service providers.
All partners.
Our gratitude is immense.
To the media.
Thank you.
Thank you for helping carry the message from Baku to the world.
The world needs to hear this call to action.
And finally to the global urban community.
You brought knowledge, experience, creativity, and inspiration to a forum that belongs to you.
You demanded action, but you also reminded us that housing the world is possible.
And here we are ready to answer that call.
Thank you.
We are grateful for the leadership.
Insights and contributions of the distinguished speakers, which have shaped the rich dialects and exchanged gathered under this remarkable year here in Baku.
A round of applause, please.
Ladies and gentlemen, we now request you to direct your attention to the screens to enjoy the host country video, which sets out some key highlights from wolves 13.
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 Beautiful Baku.
Welcome to the World Urban Forum 13 in the name of UN habitat.
Ladies and gentlemen, we now have the pleasure of inviting distinguished representatives of the global Wolf Stakeholder community to share some of their reflections, perspectives and hopes for the future of our cities, deriving from this unique week.
Our first speaker is Honorable Roy Malik, Lord mayor of the city of Banju, Gambia.
Her Excellency Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nation.
Excellencies, colleagues.
Dear friends, let me start with something simple but profound.
Thank you.
Thank you to the government of Azerbaijan and to the city of Baku for your warm welcome and for bringing us together at such a critical time for our cities and communities.
On behalf of United Cities and local governments, we also thank our Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat and Claudia Rosberg for her leadership and her steady commitment to the right to housing and to the exclusive multilateralism and on behalf of the organized constituency of local and regional governments.
We thank you, the Member States, for making this gathering possible from Baku.
We say this clearly housing is a human right and it is a democratic duty.
Dignified housing cannot exist without public services that are universal, accessible and fair.
Local and regional governments need power, financing and political recognition that match the huge responsibility we carry every single day.
Excellencies, as DG 11 and the new urban agenda will not move forward unless we confront the real barriers that block progress, inequality, broken institutions, weak decentralization, and the financialization of housing and land.
And let us be clear, local and regional governments are not just implementers.
We are political actors.
We are a spirit of government, and we must help shape the global community commitments that our communities are then asked to deliver.
We welcome the consultation, led by Poland and Malawi, on the political declaration for the new urban agenda.
We also welcome the ongoing discussion around Ecosoc and the high level political forum, and we stand ready as the organized constituency of local and regional governments to keep supporting and contributing constructively to these global processes, because this is not only about policy, this is about trust, about democracy, and about the very future of multilateralism itself.
Once again, on behalf of local and regional governments, I thank you all and wish you a safe journey home.
Local government.
Local government.
Regional governments.
Thank you.
Please welcome Miss Anna Falu, professor and co-founder of the Women and Habitat Network of the Latin America and Caribbean Hello everybody.
What a joy.
Esta es una fiesta.
This is a party.
The majority of the audience will follow better.
But I come from a Latin America.
And I want to thank Doctor Amina Mohamed for being here with us, our Deputy Secretary General.
And in the name of Doctor Amina and our Executive Director of UN habitat, Ana Claudia Roma, two fantastic, powerful women.
I want to thank you all the excellencies, ministers, mayors, colleagues and friends.
This is a space full of friends We have worked together many, many years to be here.
And let me tell you something.
I am so grateful to Baku and to our rebellion, to all the volunteers and all the people.
So nice, so friendly, so warm.
Thank you very much.
This is the moment for women, no doubt, and we hope that the next Secretary General of the UN will be a woman and a Latin American woman.
How far we have come in our struggle for our rights.
And yet, around the world, diverse women and girls across all the intersections of identities, race, ethnicity, age, handicap, territories where they live suffer multiple forms of systemic discrimination and face the major barriers in accessing their rights to adequate housing, the right to the city, to the territories where they live.
For this reason, we need listen, listening to women's voices.
And that is decisive in this regard.
I think it is important to highlight the significant moment in this world Urban Forum and in others.
The Women's Assembly, the round table of women, the caucus and the so many events where polyphonic voices were expressing through experiences and reflections.
This challenge Most urban policies, including and of course, housing policies do not clearly integrate a gender perspective.
These are policies and actions that fail to recognize the needs and the demands, the particularly needs and demands of women in all their diversities.
Often these policies also reinforce the sexual division of labor devaluating women or diluting women in the concept of family rendering, rendering them invisible.
We have learned that we cannot speak about housing in a reductionist way.
We must understand that housing and cities, housing and neighborhood housing in the territories are indivisible and gender sensitive.
Urban planning and housing policies can really have a significant effect in reducing inequalities arising from the burden of care and reproductive labour in women's life.
Policies must focus on daily life in the gender based violence.
Women still suffer in care, in the reproductive work that that is linked and is a continuity of the productive work.
And it should we should politicize it and prioritize it and place it at the center.
The omission of women as subject of policy worsened inequalities in a world of tensions and contradictions that particularly affect their lives and the life of those who depend on them.
Hence the need to promote these policies to promote a comprehensive system care system in every neighborhood of the extended and fragmented cities of the world, in the territories of the poverty in the cities shaped by the social production of habitat care systems that recognize community organizations and networks.
We have learned when households do not provide care, community do.
Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate into urban planning and housing design, time and space those two vectors that highlight the value of proximity, proximity, proximity proximity a key factor for women's life.
Housing.
As my Brazilian friends say, is the gateway to other rights to care to security, to security on their own body.
Our first territory.
Security in public spaces, security of tenure, access to credit.
Habitability.
Respect for the diverse cultures, the pluralism, not only technical and financial solutions, but social solutions grounded in social and gender justice.
We have developed instruments, methodologies.
We have learned that it is necessary to invest more resources, more wisely.
Therefore, the collective over the individual, the public, over the private, the local governments and the local actors.
The stage where everything is happening, the plural and multicultural approach.
Gender at the center for the Democratic Cities for housing with social justice.
Let us ensure that women perspectives and recommendations are incorporated throughout the process and the road toward Wolf 14.
See you there.
This is the moment for women.
Thank you very much.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss Lasana Manandhar, Executive Director at La Monte Support Group for Shelter and Asian Coalition for Housing Rights.
Namaste and good afternoon, excellencies, distinguished delegates, civil society and grassroots leaders.
Ladies and gentlemen, we come to the end of oof 13 here in Baku, a beautiful city.
We.
From civil society, grassroots movements and informal settlements want to express our deep gratitude to our host, to UN-Habitat.
Government of Azerbaijan and the people of Azerbaijan for their love, care and a very warm hospitality, and also for a mesmerizing cultural performance that we have just presented.
For six days we have been discussing housing the world safe and resilient cities and communities.
We have heard numbers that should shake us.
Over 1 billion of us still live in informal settlements.
Nearly 3 billion still lack adequate shelter.
But as the grassroots and civil society assembly and roundtable discussion this week and made clear that the communities are the builders of our cities, communities are the first responders, responders to the climate crisis, when the floods rise, when evictions threaten, and when housing costs soar.
It is grassroots communities, especially women and youth, who face the challenge and also make responses.
We have established during this forum that housing is a fundamental human right.
Housing is a public good, but on a but a right on paper means nothing to a family facing displacement or family who is evicted.
True urban regeneration must be rooted in social justice.
If an urban upgrade displaces the very people who give that community its soul, it cannot be regarded as true development.
We would like to see the Baku call to action doesn't become just document on paper.
It must be a living promise translated into local action.
As we leave Baku civil society.
As a civil society, we have five clear demands for governments and the international community.
First, stop forced eviction communities, men and women are ready for meaningful dialogue to find solutions.
Second, systemize for inclusion, create a system that treat and include grassroots communities and civil society as equal partners in cities in city development.
Third, prioritize climate housing resilience localized fund and promote nature based solutions that protect vulnerable communities from the climate housing nexus.
Fourth, make finance accessible and affordable.
Ensure a system that guarantees urban finance serves humanity so that safe housing is accessible to all.
The fifth promote and strengthen community driven and women led housing processes.
This is important to achieve global agenda of housing the world and making communities safe and resilient.
We are not only making demands, we also would like to make commitment to partner with governments and and other organizations to fulfill these demands, to realize these demands on the ground.
Let us carry the spirit of this inclusive dialogue back to our home.
Let us build cities where no one is left behind, and where everyone has a place to call home.
Thank you Ladies and gentlemen.
We thank the stakeholder representatives for their contributions.
Now we have the pleasure to introduce the representatives who will read out the Baku Call to Action, which summarizes some of the most pertinent key message emerging from our gathering here in the past six days.
Please welcome Mr.
Jonathan Oriki Somi, a member of the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board, followed by Mr.
Varner Valiyev, Associate Professor at the Diplomatic Academy of Azerbaijan.
Excellencies, distinguished ladies, delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today not only as a youth, but also as a member of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum Advisory Group.
It has been a privilege to contribute to a process that, for me, reflected some of the most powerful values defined by the forum collaboration, concrete action and innovation.
Collaboration.
Because the hoof continues to remind us that the future of our cities cannot be designed in silos, the challenges we face today are two urgent, two connected and two complex.
That requires the governments, the communities, the youth, the academia, the civil society and all stakeholders to sit at the same table and shape solutions together.
Concrete action.
Because this forum did not stop at conversations, the Baku Call to action introduces the practical pathways and clear levers that can guide the transformative change we need.
It reminds us that ambitions without action cannot build homes, cannot build cities, and cannot build futures and innovation.
Because for the first time, this document underwent the broad consultations, and the zero draft was publicly released ahead of the forum.
The consultations throughout this forum remained intentional, transparent and inclusive, and that this is a reflection of the collective ownership, shared accountability and shared ambitions as a youth.
As the advisory group, we are so proud to share a call to action that is rooted in a simple belief that housing crisis cannot be solved by one actor alone.
It requires the collective responsibility and the coordinated action.
And as I conclude, allow me to share a message from young people today One in every four urban child grows up in a slum, fusions and dreams of millions of young people are being shattered by the urban livability.
Challenges.
Throughout this forum and through the Children and Youth Assembly and Roundtable, young people have defined housing as the door of dignity, safety and belonging.
That housing should be connected to education, to health, to safety and opportunities of young people.
With the 70% of the population expected to be young by 2050.
We are excited about this call to action that speaks not only to the present challenges that we are facing, but it is looking.
It's forward looking into the future that we want for everyone, but particularly for the children, for youth and future generation.
And our commitment as young people is equally clear that we shall stand ready to collaborate, to innovate and to act into toward the delivery of the Baku call to action, the new urban agenda and the pact for the future.
Finally, allow me to end with the beautiful words sung from a song that was sung by the beautiful children of Azerbaijan yesterday during the children's Are Children and Youth Roundtable.
That I can't do it alone.
And that's why I need you.
And together we shall change the world.
Together we shall change the world.
Thank you.
Dear ladies and gentlemen, dear students, dear youth, actually, it's a great honor for me to be a to be the last person at this stage to read the main points of the Baku call for actions based on the World Urban Forum, inspired by the actions oriented nature of the 13th World Urban Forum 13 held in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Baku Call to action is the result of collective, co productive, equitable and inclusive process It presents a set of diverse contributions from stakeholders across sectors and levels of governance, including grassroots and civil society organizations, women, older persons, children, youth, indigenous people, professionals, academia, researchers, policy and decision makers, local and regional authorities, as well as persons with disabilities, parliamentarians and the private sector.
The main message of the call is that the global housing crisis is reaching its tipping point.
This crisis is not accidental, but the result of deep structural, systemic and governance failure.
Housing must be recognized and prioritized as a human right.
A home is not just a structure with four walls its place of dignity, culture and identity, an anchor to secure our shared future.
It's an interconnected system to other public amenities and services such as public spaces, schools, health and facilities.
The scale of global Challenge calls for assertive, concerted and urgent responses.
At the heart of this call to action is our plea for housing to be reprioritized, guided by stewardship of integrated housing policies supported by organized, multi-stakeholder actions, long term prediction finances, improved implementation capacity, multi-level governance, sustained public investments, and measurable accountability mechanisms.
We recognize this as a part of continued commitment that has shaped multilateral actions of housing, from inclusion, from adequate housing as an internationally recognized human rights to the habitat process, and leading up to the 2030 agenda and the pact for the future.
In a year that marks the 10th anniversary of new urban agenda, we call on Member states to accelerate implementation, strengthen UN habitat functions as a partnership agency to better address the global housing crisis.
The UN Habitat Strategic Plan 2629 offers a blueprint for accelerating actions on housing through the open ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on adequate housing for all member States and stakeholders are encouraged to engage actively in the working group, nominating experts and practitioners, and promoting inclusive participation by ensuring inclusion of underrepresented groups.
As a countdown for 2030 begins, there is a clear opportunity to position the next decade and subsequent five.
Wolfe Sessions 26, 2036 as a decade of action to accelerate implementation of the new urban agenda and deliver measurable progress toward SDGs.
VF outcomes should include trackable commitment document, successful program and project and share implementation path forms.
This call to actions are organized into three areas.
Recognizes the underlying rights and drivers of the housing crisis.
Responding to its Manifestation and transformation housing system for a just, inclusive, resilient and sustainable future.
So there is a messages recognize and respond to underlying rights and drivers by protecting and advancing the human rights approach, protecting our homes from conflict, war and climate risks appreciating our human diversity and integrate climate resilience in the current debates.
Second, responding to direct manifestation calls for housing to be a catalyst for urban integration, ensuring affordability for all, challenging discriminatory housing practices and stopping forced eviction.
Finally, transforming housing systems calls for diversifying housing approach, secure land and financial resources for housing encourage a multi-stakeholder multi governance approach, and finally, use data knowledge to strengthen accountability and deliver on and commitments.
This call to action is not just to government and a member state, its call to entire society to act in the interests of the entire humanity and planet.
Thank you.
The round of applause for this rich outcome document from 13 and other presenters of the Baku call for action.
Thank you Dear participants.
Now we'll watch the video.
With 13 has been a very vibrant and active World Urban Forum.
We've got people from around the world from Asia, Europe, Africa, discussing and meeting and connecting over the urban issue.
And it's always amazing to see the diversity and plurality of views coming together over this critical human issue of the urban.
Welcome to Baku.
We are going to talk about the housing in the world.
And as I'm working in the third sector like that and we are helping people to get house.
So it will be a big experience for me.
And we're gonna learn a lot of things.
It's a lovely day.
Everything is very organized, very nice, and I look forward to have a nice event here in Baku.
Baku is beautiful.
Beautiful.
Hello.
Hello from India.
Lovely to be at Wolf 13.
Inclusive.
Deeply affordable, sustainable and accessible housing for everyone.
The most creative design.
I enjoy your moment.
Wolf 13.
Thank you volunteers.
Thank you service providers for this fantastic world.
Urban forum 13 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Thank you so much for hosting us.
Ladies and gentlemen.
The next performance will showcase Baku at the Living Musical landscape where classical traditions and contemporary voices exist in one shared composition.
Please welcome the host country cultural performance entitled music of the city.
We build our dreams in lines of light and sky.
Where every sweet can lead you safely home.
Between this wall our heartbeat starts to grow.
A city deep as hearts.
The way to love.
We are different but we feel the same.
Every voice and rhythm in one refrain.
We are building paths and streets and signs.
Every city starts with a state of mind.
We got our future under endless sky.
In every window there's the dream alive.
Though every road.
A thousand stories run.
A city.
right this way.
Every move is all.
We are different but we feel the same.
Every voice and rhythm.
In one refrain.
We are building streets and signs.
Every city stars with a state of mind.
We are different but we feel the same.
Every voice and rhythm in one breath.
Pain.
We are building streets and signs.
Every city starts with a state of mind.
With a state of mind.
When I say.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is always something bittersweet about the closing moments of a great gathering.
Over these past days, Baku welcomed the world not only as a host city, but as a place of dialogue, culture and exchange.
But the World Urban Forum has never belonged to one city alone.
It moves forward through people, ideas, and a shared belief that the future of our cities can still be shaped with imagination, dignity and care.
And now, as one chapter comes to a close and another begins, we invite you to the official ceremony of the wolf relay handover to the host city of the 14th session of the World Urban Forum.
We'll start by watching a video produced by the next host for Wolf 14.
Esta ciudad de una senal, pero también de una comunidad movimiento.
This city was.
Born from an image we had in our heads, but also from the will of a city.
Since then, this city is unstoppable and is becoming a metropolis, a global place that is not losing its roots.
We are the capital where the people decided to fight, to withstand and to thrive.
Mexico City has been the protagonist of many transformations of the conquest of rights and of building democracy.
Here, the revolution of consciousness was born.
It defied authoritarianism, and it changed the course of a country Today, this history is still alive with its social and linguistic diversity.
From this we witness the birth of the First and Women president in 200 years.
And we put in the center human dignity, equality, sustainability as well as social justice.
This is a city in which a utopia is a are not a promises anymore.
They become a reality.
The public space is transformed and transforms things as well.
We can see it in the forest, in the nature that gives life to the city.
The urban and the nature get together.
People care for the rest.
We have powerful women that are always alive, free and equal, and of youth that self-managed things and the people are protected.
We can see ancestral peoples that are acknowledged.
We have communities that take part on things and decide their futures Here, governance means being closed, hearing and also building from the territory.
House by house, neighborhood to neighborhood.
From here we can see the heart of transformation beat.
And it's going to change the world because future cannot be awaited.
It must be made by us.
Today and permanently from Nairobi to Baku, going through Barcelona, Vancouver and Nanjing, Rio de Janeiro, Napoli Medellin, Quito, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, Katowice, Cairo, all the urban forums of the world.
He has shown us that we have urban reality that needs us to address some causes, and they demand us to create the future and demand for us actions that are hopeful.
With all this legacy, we are going to get to the city of Mexico in 2028.
Today, the world goes through a decisive moment.
Climate crisis is unbalancing the world and violences and stands against the peace.
And lives are not getting any better.
People want to live better and they are still waiting for a place to live, a house, a place in which they have clean air and water and so forth.
They don't want violence or discrimination.
They want their voices to be heard.
And we know that the future is urban and that the answers are built here in the cities from city of Mexico.
We call for urgent action, action to safeguard the lives of our people and of our citizens and of the planet.
We need to transform from the root.
We need a good spatial planning, and we need to build the cities properly.
Those cities of a full rights and cities for everyone, for all the citizens, citizens, cities in which you can live, in which households are not just an asset of the market.
And it is a right to live.
We need affordable housing and fair salaries, and also a right of a feeling rooted to a place we cannot be displaced.
We need a place into which we can feel a sense of belonging.
We need these cities which become infrastructure and services for the city.
We need a historical transformation that redistributes the work and also the wealth.
Women have played an important role, and they offer for the citizens spaces that withhold the life every day.
We need responsible cities in front of a global warmth and a common would need to be preserved.
Because this way we will represent the future.
We need to preserve the relation with water, air and land.
We must reduce emissions and we are using resources, and we bring the city closer together to those which need it We are building a peace and equality in this city.
We put all the rights of the peoples at the same level.
It is a place of justice and we have common spaces that are common treasures.
We have a schools of justice and territorial justice as well, in which the rights of being in a city is really guaranteed.
From here to Baku.
We call you to come with us in this new path towards a new urban future, a world and a future of utopias, of cooperation, of rights, of democracy, of solidarity, of justice, and also peace.
It is a movement that, from the local has the power to transform the world.
In 2028, in the city of Mexico, we will get together to decide the urban future of the world.
And we have a 700 years of history in Ciudad de México, and we open our arms to welcome the world.
We have hundreds of.
A device on the world of challenges that are bigger than ever, and we need an agenda that is transformative, transformative, and that stands in front of the challenges we invite from Mexico to all the countries, to all the national governments, the academia, international organizations, social movements, and everyone to imagine together a new dawn that is more democratic, that is more human, that is better, a new dawn that can only build from the cities.
We have the responsibility to build from the ground up, from the territory, from the cities.
And these are responses in the face of a climate crisis, gender equity, and in the face of the blockage that we have and the crisis on households and the crisis of democracy, as well as the collapse of international rights.
The context is increasingly fragmented and challenges we need to be together and solidarity from all the cities of the world.
That's why today we call on all the world to come to Mexico in 2028 for the UN 14th World Urban Forum, to dialogue, to imagine and to build collectively to show that another urban future is possible.
The city of Mexico awaits you with your history, with your strength of your diversity and your hopes.
Welcome to Mexico City of the 14 World Urban Forum in 2028.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the representative of host country of Wolf 13, Executive Director of UN habitat and the representatives of the host country of Wolf 14 to the stage.
Ladies and gentlemen, will now hear a short statement from representatives from Mexico, after.
Which the final.
word will go to Miss Anna.
Claudia Rossbach.
Executive director of UN habitat.
Estimada Senora.
Dear Amina Mohamed, general secretary of the UN.
Dear Ana Claudia Rossbach, secretary general of the UN and executive director of UN habitat.
Minister Ana Guliyev, president of the State Committee of Urban Development and Architecture of the Government of Azerbaijan and coordinator of Group 13.
Dear participants, ladies and gentlemen, people of Azerbaijan and of Baku.
On behalf of the Government of Mexico City and the Mexican delegation, I would like to express our most sincere congratulations to the people and government of Azerbaijan for organizing the 13th World Urban Forum.
Baku welcomed us with great generosity, warmth, human warmth, grandeur and admirable determination.
We know that the weather conditions were a real challenge over the first day, but it was.
It was.
We know it was especially a, um, a challenge because of the meteorology of the country.
And so it deserves special recognition.
It was not easy, but you made a great job.
Extraordinary job.
This form has been inclusive and participatory.
And the outstanding work in communication and citizen engagement is a true inspiration for the future.
Wolf.
The one of course we will celebrate in our city.
We loved seeing the enthusiastic participation of the people of Azerbaijan in this forum, on the streets, in their city, seeing families, young people and children exploring and experiencing the spaces of the wolf, and especially around the Mexico City Pavilion, reminded us why we do all of this, all of this work in order to build cities for people, cities for everyone.
We also want to acknowledge the kindness and willingness of the volunteers whose energy made this experience even more special.
We will always remember their smile and their warmth.
We would also like to recognize and acknowledge the great work of the entire UN-Habitat team, which successfully brought this edition to a close to a very successful close.
I think we all agree this has been a great forum.
Thank you Azerbaijan.
Thank you UN-Habitat.
Mexico goes back home with our suitcases, but especially with our heads and our hearts full, full of ideas of conversations that moved us, that motivated us, of lessons learned that are going to become actions very soon.
And we will put all of this work in preparing for Wolf 14, which we will have the honor and responsibility of hosting in Mexico City.
We commit to living up to this legacy and to being as generous and open as Baku was with us.
We now share.
We shared with you a preview, an idea, a little taste of what Wolf 14 will be in Mexico City with, along with a message from our head of government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada.
You saw her on the screen.
And today we begin the co-creation process with all the stakeholders for Wolf 14.
Sheikh Diego, Azerbaijan, Baku.
Welcome to Wolf 14.
Let's see each other in Mexico City.
Let's meet there.
Thank you very much.
With great pleasure.
Once again, please welcome Miss Ana Claudia Rosberg, the executive director of UN habitat.
And now I declare Wolf 13 closed.
Ladies and gentlemen, we kindly ask the Deputy Secretary General of the Executive Director, the Chairman of State Committee of Urban Planning and Architecture, the representatives of Mexico, and ministers and Deputy ministers to come to the stage for a family photo.
Thank you.