Financial flows and subsidies must also be aligned with social and environmental needs.
Modern.az reports that this was stated by Anaklaudia Rossbach, Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), at a round table titled “Parliamentarians: Translating Urban Commitments into National Action - The Parliamentary Path to Housing for All” within the 13th session of the World Urban Forum held in Baku.
According to the UN-Habitat official, financial flows directed to cities currently do not serve the interests of all citizens, and sometimes even create discrimination:
“When subsidy programs do not align with local urban plans, residential areas form on the outskirts of the city, which makes the urbanization process unsustainable.”
She also emphasized that low-income families living on the outskirts of the city lose opportunities due to both transportation costs and long travel times:
“Children are also deprived of many opportunities for this reason. In addition, maintaining such infrastructure is more expensive for cities and creates an additional burden on the environment.”
A. Rossbach stated that legislative and regulatory mechanisms at national, regional, and local levels should be strengthened to solve these problems.
“The interim evaluation process for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda will be held in New York City on June 16-17, and the views of parliamentary representatives will play an important role in this process.”
The head of UN-Habitat also noted that the “Baku Call for Action” to be prepared within the forum, the ministers' final document, and the World Cities Report will be among the key documents for future activities.
