The 5th conference of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network was held in Istanbul, Turkey.
According to information provided to Modern.az by the Press and Public Relations Department of the Milli Majlis, the conference, attended by about 130 representatives from delegations from nearly 50 countries and international organizations, was dedicated to the topic "The role of parliaments in ensuring climate-resilient urbanization in the Non-Aligned Movement region."
Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network, opened the event with an introductory speech, recalling that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement at the First Summit Conference held in Belgrade in September 1961.
The Speaker of the Milli Majlis expressed satisfaction with the great interest currently shown by parliamentary representatives and partner organizations in the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, emphasizing that the active participation of member parliamentary representatives in the Network's activities not only demonstrates the determination of parliamentarians to complement the efforts of their governments but also shows the increasing role of the Movement in achieving its goals.
The speech noted that in the period since the last conference held in Tashkent in April 2025, the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network has continued to expand its scope of activities and international role.
Noting the relevance of the topic of the fifth conference of the Parliamentary Network, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis stated that today approximately 3 billion people worldwide live in unsatisfactory housing conditions, of whom more than 1.1 billion reside in informal settlements, and over 300 million people face homelessness. According to her, the global housing crisis continues to deepen rapidly, affecting all regions, especially developing countries, and at the same time weakening efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
In her speech, Sahiba Gafarova also provided information about the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, which will be hosted by Azerbaijan. It was stated that the session, to be held in Baku in May of the current year, will be dedicated to the topic "Habitats for all: safe and sustainable cities and settlements." The Speaker said that this Forum is a high-level international platform created to address problems related to rapid urbanization and to assess its impact on cities, national economies, and climate change. She also emphasized that after successfully hosting COP29, this global event is another manifestation of the trust placed in Azerbaijan's ability to unite joint efforts in the face of common challenges. Recalling that 2026 has been declared the "Year of Urban Planning and Architecture" in Azerbaijan, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis noted that Azerbaijan has rich experience in the field of urban planning.
It was noted that the 13th session of the World Urban Forum will be an interim assessment of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. This event will look back at the last decade and identify priorities until 2036.
Then, at the conference, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Numan Kurtulmuş, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Tulia Akson, Secretary General of the Union Martin Chungong, Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva, Speaker of the National People's Assembly of Algeria Ibrahim Bouğali, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Arab Republic of Egypt Hisham Badawi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Malawi Samir Suleman, Speaker of the People's Majlis of Maldives Abdul Rahim Abdulla, Speaker of the House of Councillors of Morocco Mohamed Ould Erraşid, Speaker of the National Assembly of Nepal Narayan Prasad Dahal, President of the Arab Parliament Mohamed Ahmed Alyammahi, President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace Ahmed Aljarwan, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States Ramil Hasan, Secretary General of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Chem Vidhya, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Libya, Deputy Chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network Fouzi Salim, First Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council of Bahrain Jamal Mohammed Abdulrahman Fakhro, Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Sergey Aleynik, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Laos Soutkhon Xayachak, Member of the National Assembly of Gambia Kebba Lang Fofana and others spoke, highly appreciating the institutional development of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network, established on the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and the work done to increase the organization's international prestige under the chairmanship of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan.
The speakers also shared their views on the relevance of the topic "The role of parliaments in ensuring climate-resilient urbanization in the Non-Aligned Movement region," to which the conference was dedicated, and voiced their proposals. At the end of the conference, the Istanbul Declaration was adopted.
Decisions were also made at the event regarding the establishment of the headquarters of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network in Baku and granting observer status to the Arab Parliament in the Parliamentary Network.
