How climate change, urbanisation and a shortage of money are forcing the region to reinvent the cities of the future
The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), organized by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Government of Azerbaijan, concluded in Baku with a high-level closing press conference, hosted by Katerina Bezgachina, Chief of Communications at UN-Habitat, summarizing the outcomes of one of the world’s largest international platforms dedicated to sustainable urban development, housing policy, and climate resilience.
UN-Habitat and Alwaleed Philanthropies formally launched a new partnership during the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku aimed at advancing inclusive and sustainable housing solutions for persons with disabilities in Tunisia and across the Arab region. The initiative combines accessible housing design, inclusive urban planning, renewable energy integration and policy reform in what participants described as a model for future urban development.
Why WUF13 in Baku matters more than expected
Pollinators were not officially on the agenda in Baku. Yet during a conversation with Laura Puttkamer, who works in solutions journalism, pollinators surfaced almost inevitably — as discussions about cities increasingly tend to do once they move beyond infrastructure and toward the quieter question of coexistence.
Presented at UN-Habitat’s World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, the 2026 World Cities Report warns that the global housing crisis is becoming one of the defining challenges of modern urbanisation.
