Azerbaijan highlights Baku Call to Action at United Nations

Azerbaijan has highlighted the global importance of the ‘Baku Call to Action’ at the United Nations. This initiative, stemming from the 13th World Urban Forum, seeks urgent and coordinated responses to the global housing crisis and calls for the accelerated implementation of the New Urban Agenda by 2036.

Elvin Ashrafzada, Deputy Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN, noted that the UN Secretary-General’s report specifically acknowledged the significance of the Baku Call to Action. He emphasized Azerbaijan’s co-chairmanship of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Group on adequate housing for all. The representative also noted that President Ilham Aliyev declared 2026 as the ‘Year of Urban Planning and Architecture’ in Azerbaijan to support sustainable, human-centric urban development, including the ‘Great Return’ program in liberated territories.

In other regional developments, the III International Agro Business Forum was held in Baku to foster B2B partnerships and international cooperation in the agricultural sector. Additionally, reports on the Azerbaijani currency market indicated the manat remained stable against the US dollar, while the exchange rate against the euro saw a slight increase. Separately, academic discussions in Baku addressed the impact of artificial intelligence on the digital literacy and values of the younger generation.