WUF13

WUF13

International working group on restoration of post-conflict cities announced at WUF13

19 May 2026 14:06 (UTC +04:00)

The establishment of an international working group for the restoration of post-conflict and climate-vulnerable cities was announced at the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku, said Elshad Iskandarov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, APA-Economics reports from the session titled “Climate Action Contributing to Peace Through Urban Solutions in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Areas” held within the framework of WUF13.

According to him, the main goal of the working group is to develop international guidelines for the restoration of post-conflict territories based on the “Smart, Sustainable Settlements and Safe Return” (4S) concept.

Elshad Iskandarov noted that the document to be prepared will serve to standardize urban planning projects, align them with international criteria, and facilitate access to financing from climate funds, multilateral development banks, and other donors.

According to him, the results of the working group’s activities are expected to be presented at the National Urban Forum to be held in Azerbaijan next year, while the final document is planned to be presented at WUF14.

The ambassador stated that governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, climate funds, academic circles, and civil society representatives will be able to join the initiative on a voluntary basis.

Elshad Iskandarov added that the role of youth also holds a special place at the center of the initiative, and within this framework, the Youth Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has organized an international competition on the topic “Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Sustainable Cities.”