"We are currently looking at a new urban agenda and have been changing this urban planning since 2016."
Modern.az reports that this was stated by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, while answering journalists' questions at the official closing press conference of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
She touched upon the future vision of urban planning, integrated approaches in housing provision, and ensuring security in the liberated territories at the Baku event:
The Deputy Secretary-General emphasized that fundamental changes are currently being implemented in global urban planning processes within the framework of the New Urban Agenda. There is a long-term strategic plan covering the years 2026 and 2036 along this line. One of the main issues facing the urban planning community is to define directions for action for the post-2030 period.
Amina J. Mohammed stated that a comprehensive integrated action plan for housing provision is being prepared for the next 5-year period, and the main goal is to form a unified and sustainable system by including finance, economy, education, and other important areas in this program.
According to her, one of the biggest features and goals of this political forum is to attract global attention to the mentioned directions and to encourage investment flow into housing provision projects. Such initiatives are of exceptional importance in accelerating the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During her speech, the topic of Karabakh, which is one of Azerbaijan's priority directions, was also specifically touched upon: "The restoration of Karabakh is a big and important project of the Azerbaijani government — your country. In this context, we fully support the demining process of the territories. This activity, which requires a certain amount of time, is also one of the most important conditions for ensuring the safe and confident return of the local community to the region."
