The World Urban Forum (WUF) opens this week in Baku, Azerbaijan, bringing together governments, city leaders, urban planners, researchers and civil society to exchange ideas on how cities can become more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established by the United Nations in 2001 through the UN General Assembly and was first held in 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya.
It is organised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the UN agency responsible for promoting socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.
Unlike formal UN negotiations, the forum does not produce binding treaties or resolutions. Instead, it operates as a global platform for dialogue, knowledge-sharing and partnership-building on urban development.
Its importance has grown alongside accelerating global urbanisation, with more than half of the world’s population now living in cities, according to UN-Habitat, which is expected to increase further in the coming decades.
Urban areas have become central to global development debates because they concentrate both opportunity and risk. They function as engines of economic growth, innovation and productivity, yet they also face mounting pressures such as housing shortages, overstretched infrastructure and widening inequality.
At the same time, cities are highly exposed to climate impacts, including flooding, heatwaves and sea-level rise, while also contributing significantly to global emissions.
These interconnected challenges have made urban policy a key component of the international development agenda, particularly within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 11, which focuses on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
The World Urban Forum is designed as a global “solutions platform” rather than a negotiating body.
It brings together a wide range of participants, including national governments, mayors, urban experts, private sector representatives and civil society organisations to exchange experiences and explore practical responses to urban challenges.
Discussions at the forum typically focus on sharing policy innovations, exploring financing models for housing and infrastructure, presenting approaches to climate-resilient urban planning, and strengthening cooperation between cities and international institutions.
The forum also supports the implementation of the New Urban Agenda adopted in 2016, which outlines global principles for sustainable urban development.
Because it does not produce binding agreements, the forum’s influence is primarily shaped by its ability to generate ideas, guide policy thinking and encourage voluntary commitments that can be implemented at national and local levels.
Since its first edition in 2002, the World Urban Forum has evolved into one of the largest global gatherings on urban issues.
Early meetings focused on defining the global urban agenda, while later editions expanded into areas such as climate resilience, inequality, governance and sustainable financing. In recent years, the emphasis has increasingly shifted toward practical solutions, particularly around housing, climate adaptation and digital transformation.
The most recent forum, WUF12, was held in Cairo, Egypt in 2024 and placed strong focus on real-world urban responses to global challenges, including housing delivery, climate resilience, financing gaps and the use of technology in urban planning.
The upcoming WUF13 is expected to continue in this direction, with housing and resilient urban development at the centre of discussions as the world moves closer to the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The renewed global focus on urban policy reflects a broader reality: cities are where many of the world’s most pressing challenges are most visible, but also where many solutions are being developed and tested.
From housing innovation to climate adaptation strategies, urban policy is becoming a central pillar of how governments respond to global change.
As the World Urban Forum opens in Baku, it reinforces a growing consensus in international development: the future of sustainable progress will be largely determined in cities.
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military position...
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies...
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tourna...
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev a...
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported...
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military positions in Mali on Saturday (4 July) and said it had seized control of at least five of them.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tournament.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
Uzbekistan will open an embassy in Georgia, the Central Asian country’s presidency has said. The announcement follows talks between Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in Tbilisi.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) opened its annual party conference, where delegates voted to keep Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as the party's co-leaders.
Armenia's parliament has passed a new law raising the requirements for citizens living abroad to vote in national elections, following concerns over alleged efforts to influence last month's parliamentary vote through Armenian citizens residing in Russia.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment