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Baku wins bid to host World Urban Forum 2026

Nairobi, 1 December 2023 — The capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, will host the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF) in 2026. The announcement was made yesterday by Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), on the last day of the 2023 third session of the Executive Board of the organization held from 28 to 30 November in Nairobi, Kenya.

Attending the meeting, Mr. Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, expressed its gratitude and appreciation for the selection of Baku as the host city of WUF 2026. Out of eight bids, only three cities proceeded to full bidding and evaluation process.

The WUF13 Selection Committee recommended two cities, the city of Fortaleza in Brazil, and Baku, Azerbaijan. The winning candidate will soon begin negotiations on the formal agreements to host the event. The World Urban Forum is the worlds’ premier biennial global conference on urbanization. It is convened by UN-Habitat and co-organized with the host city and government.

From its inception in 2002, WUF has evolved into a vital non-legislative platform for discussions on the challenges of rapid urbanization and attracts a wide range of participants including national ministers, mayors, United Nations representatives, academia, civil society, grassroots groups, indigenous peoples, the private sector, and philanthropic foundations.

Baku skyline. Baku skyline.