New regional cities forum planned under UN SPECA initiative

Steps are being taken to establish a new regional platform - the SPECA Cities Forum - under the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), Elmar Mammadov, Head of the Economic Cooperation Department at Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on the third day of Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW2025), Report informs.

He noted that SPECA includes five Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan:

"During COP29, numerous declarations of intent were signed by cities, and the creation of this forum was agreed upon. The aim is to launch a platform within SPECA focused on climate-sensitive and smart cities," Mammadov said.

The forum is expected to foster collaboration across the region on sustainable urban development and climate adaptation strategies.