Baku has become a place where the world talks about its future.
Modern.az reports that these thoughts were voiced by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Yotova, at the official opening ceremony of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
“The topic that brings us together here - providing the world with housing - is the topic on which all other goals are based. Behind this topic are not just statistics, but people. Approximately 2.8 billion people in the world are deprived of living conditions consistent with human dignity. More than 1 billion people live in informal settlements. To meet global demand by the end of this decade, the world must create one dwelling every second. Every second I speak, a family somewhere in the world is waiting for a home.”
The President of Bulgaria also added that there is a challenge even greater than wars.
“Climate change has been displacing not only individuals but entire regions for years. Droughts, water scarcity, rising sea levels, and land cultivated for generations that can no longer sustain people accelerate these processes.
Scientists warn that if current trends continue, entire continents will witness people migrating for the simplest and most sacred right - the right to live. For millions of people around the world, housing has already become the frontline in the fight against climate change. Urban resilience is not an ecological luxury. A city unprepared for climate disruptions can jeopardize the stability of entire regions.”
I. Yotova emphasized that these processes are well known in Bulgaria.
“We are one of the member states of the European Union and are located at the intersection of major connectivity corridors. However, our country, like much of Europe, faces an aging population, internal migration, depopulation of some regions, and growing inequalities between large urban centers and smaller towns.
We know what it means for one city to grow while another nearby gradually weakens. We know what it means for young families to no longer be able to afford a home, for entire generations to lose their sense of perspective.
These realities place us before the same challenges, regardless of which part of the world we come from. If the problem is common, the solutions must also be common. The world should freely share knowledge and achievements rather than preserving them in isolation. Because our homes and our future are common.
According to her, investments should be directed towards people, not infrastructure for the sake of infrastructure.
“Technology should serve humanity, not replace it. Digital systems and smart cities will only have true value when they serve people, reduce inequalities, and make life more accessible, safer, and dignified.
Most importantly, housing policy should not remain merely a sectoral policy. It must become a policy for the future of society. Because ultimately, we need cities that do not separate people by income, generation, or origin. We want cities that create opportunities, that form communities.
Let's stop measuring a city's success by the number of its skyscrapers, its skyline, or its gross product. Let's start measuring a city by whether even the most vulnerable person has a home, access, and a voice.
Ladies and gentlemen, today cities are the practical manifestation of geopolitics. How we build them will determine not only the quality of our lives but also the stability of our societies, the resilience of our states, and the trust in our political systems.
The future will not be measured solely by economic growth. The future will be measured by whether we can create cities where people want to live, start families, work, and realize their dreams.
Let's not leave Baku with just another declaration. Let's leave Baku with the determination that Baku will be remembered not by the words of a call to action, but by the houses that will be built as a result,” the President of Bulgaria noted in her speech.
