The 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) is a very important event especially for young people, Joshua Fortedur, representative of the Youth Advisory Board of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), said in a statement to APA at the “Children and Youth Group” event held within the framework of WUF13 in Baku.
He noted that young people should be at the center of decisions when building the cities of the future:
“We know the problems we face today, we understand the challenges, and we continue to develop solutions to these problems. For many years, as young people, we have felt somewhat left out. In some cases, although our voices are heard, we do not see our ideas being fully implemented in the solutions presented. Therefore, we say that we do not simply want to be included in the process, we want youth-centered development and youth-centered solutions. Because we will be the people living in the cities of the future. We will be the workers, entrepreneurs, and the main pillar of these communities. Therefore, we want young people to participate fully from beginning to end in the decision-making process related to urban development, in solving water and sanitation problems, and in issues related to climate change. Today, young people are already mobilized and are developing solutions to various problems and putting forward initiatives. The full participation of young people starting from today will positively affect the future development process both socially and economically.”
