The main calls voiced during the assemblies held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) will be submitted to the advisory group for the preparation of the “Baku Call to Action” document, said Anna Soave, Head of UN-Habitat's Country Office in Azerbaijan, during the closing session of the first day of the forum.
According to her, the conclusions and key theses of the assemblies will be directly conveyed by UN-Habitat to the stakeholder-led advisory group.
“This is of crucial importance. The initial draft of the ‘Baku Call to Action’ document has already been posted on the UN-Habitat website, and participants can submit their comments and proposals,” Anna Soave noted.
She stressed that the assemblies held within the framework of the forum were the result of months of discussions and consultations and had created high expectations for WUF13.
According to the UN-Habitat official, cities are on the frontline of urbanisation and climate challenges, and stronger partnerships should be established among local authorities, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to address these problems.
Anna Soave added that cities have different demographic structures: “While populations are ageing in some cities, young people make up the majority in others. This requires different approaches to infrastructure and services. There is no single solution for all cities. We need diverse governance models and a set of urban solutions.”
