Azerbaijan and UN-Habitat Launch New Global Baku Urban Award

As part of WUF13, the official launch ceremony of the Baku Urban Award, a new international distinction established at the initiative of the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), was held to promote pioneering urban solutions in the fields of sustainable urban development and affordable housing.

The Baku Urban Award is being developed as a global platform aimed at advancing practical urban solutions capable of generating lasting social, economic and environmental impact.

Set to become one of the key lasting legacies of the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), the Award is intended to extend well beyond the Forum itself, serving as a permanent international platform supporting the long-term advancement of the global urban agenda.

The initiative is centred around the integration of three principal pillars:

• real-world urban solutions already being implemented by urban development practitioners;
• expert knowledge and evidence-based approaches;
• and the incorporation of successful approaches into national and international policymaking frameworks.

The assessment process will be overseen by an independent international panel of leading experts in architecture, urban development, housing, climate resilience, finance and civil society.

The Award will serve as an open global platform for participants representing all regions of the world.

The establishment of the Baku Urban Award reflects Azerbaijan’s long-term commitment to the global urban and climate agenda. Among the initiatives advanced in this direction are the country’s hosting of COP29, the launch of the Multisectoral Actions Pathways (MAP) to Resilient and Healthy Cities and the Baku Continuity Coalition initiatives, co-chairing UN-Habitat’s Open-Ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All, as well as Baku’s hosting of WUF13.

Since the launch of the Azerbaijan National Urban Forum in 2022, cooperation between Azerbaijan and UN-Habitat has continued to deepen through a growing range of joint urban development initiatives.

This collaboration has included the organisation of three National Urban Forums in the Garabagh and Eastern Zangazur regions, alongside events held in Baku in 2023 to mark World Habitat Day.