The 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) will be held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, in May 2026. This was announced on Friday at the resumed second session of the Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), held in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach said that WUF13 will draw the world’s attention to the urgent need to address the global housing crisis and its central role in sustainable urban development.
She noted that the forum is one of the largest UN platforms that brings together diverse stakeholders to exchange views, build partnerships and take action on priority issues to promote the development of sustainable cities and communities in line with the priorities of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
WUF13 will be held under the theme “Global Housing: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Communities” and will focus on practical solutions that integrate housing into broader urban systems, such as climate change adaptation, land and tenure security, inclusive governance and locally-driven development, said Rossbach.
Anar Guliyev, WUF13 National Coordinator and Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Development and Architecture of Azerbaijan, said the government was committed to working closely with a wide range of partners to ensure the success of the five-day forum.
Since its inception, the World Urban Forum has been held in 12 cities around the world.
