Opening remarks by H.E. Mr. Tofig F. Musayev,

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations

at the Observance of World Cities Day 2025, under the theme

“Inclusive Urban Futures: Families, Care, and Innovation at the Heart of Cities”

31 October 2025

Distinguished participants,
 

Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the International Federation for Family Development for convening us today. I would also like to thank the representatives of UN DESA and UN-Habitat for their valuable insights and continued leadership in advancing inclusive and sustainable urban development.

It is a great pleasure to join you in marking World Cities Day 2025 and in celebrating our shared commitment to building inclusive, family-oriented, and sustainable cities for all.

Azerbaijan enjoys longstanding and productive cooperation with UN-Habitat, and we commend its efforts in implementing the New Urban Agenda, supporting SDG localization, and helping cities recover from crises.

Within the framework of Urban October, just two weeks ago, Azerbaijan co-hosted the third National Urban Forum in partnership with UN-Habitat, bringing together leaders and partners to explore how cities can become more inclusive, climate-resilient, and healthy. This dialogue has set the stage for the upcoming 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), to be held in Baku in May 2026, under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities”.

Alongside these efforts, Azerbaijan has recently been elected Co-Chair of the Bureau of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Adequate Housing for All for 2025–2026, further demonstrating our dedication to advancing global housing and urban development initiatives within the United Nations system.

Over the past five years, Azerbaijan has prioritized post-conflict rebuilding, reconstruction, and reintegration across its territories liberated from 30 years of devastating occupation, with more than $13.5 billion allocated between 2021 and 2025 for these projects. These substantial investments are driving the development of family-oriented modern infrastructure, expanded housing, and new employment opportunities, paving the way for the return of the internally displaced persons to their homes. Over 50,000 people have already returned and live, work, and study in these regions today.

Recognizing the strong link between urbanization and climate change, and in our capacity as COP29 Presidency, we have worked closely with partners to align urban policy with climate action. The Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change and the Multilevel Action and Urbanization Pavilion at COP29, held in Baku last November, along with the launch of the Multisectoral Action Pathways (MAP) Declaration for Resilient and Healthy Cities, reflect our shared commitment to advancing integrated climate solutions.

At COP29, we also established the Baku Continuity Coalition on Urban Climate Action, a joint initiative of UN-Habitat and successive COP Presidencies, to ensure coherence between climate and urban agendas, enhance urban climate finance, and strengthen synergies between World Urban Forums, UN Climate Conferences, and World Environment Days.

Looking ahead, Azerbaijan stands ready to deepen partnerships with national governments, cities, multilateral development banks, investors, and civil society to expand access to adequate and affordable housing and to build cities that serve their people.

The 13th World Urban Forum in Baku promises to be a milestone event, one that, for the first time ever, will feature a Summit of Leaders dedicated to advancing people-centered, financeable, and fast-to-implement solutions for sustainable urban futures.

Let us continue working together to ensure that every city becomes a place where families can thrive and where no one is left behind. I wish all participants a fruitful and inspiring discussion today as we collectively advance towards this vision.

Thank you.