Anar Guliyev attends panel discussions within UN meeting on New Urban Agenda

Within the framework of the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda held at the UN Headquarters in New York, Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of Azerbaijan, Anar Guliyev, delivered remarks at the panel discussion entitled "Delivering for People: Scaling Adequate Housing, Land, Basic Services, and Inclusion," Report informs citing the committee.

In his address, Guliyev emphasized that ensuring access to adequate housing is one of the key priorities of the global sustainable development agenda. In this context, he noted that housing was among the central themes of the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), held in Baku in May this year under the theme "Housing the world: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities."

He highlighted that the Forum reaffirmed housing as a fundamental pillar of human dignity, social inclusion, and sustainable development.

The chairman presented Azerbaijan's experience in expanding access to affordable housing. He noted that ten years ago, the State Agency for Housing Construction (MIDA) was established, and a national Roadmap on housing provision was adopted. Over the past decade, 14 projects comprising 321 multi-apartment residential buildings have been implemented across nine cities of the country, resulting in the delivery of more than 16,000 housing units.

He also addressed the large-scale reconstruction and redevelopment efforts in the territories liberated from occupation. Guliyev stressed that these efforts extend beyond infrastructure rehabilitation and focus on creating decent living conditions for returning residents while ensuring the long-term development of cities, towns, and villages.

It was noted that over the past six years, construction facilities with a total area of approximately 3 million square metres have been commissioned across the region, while multi-apartment buildings and individual houses have been built for 16,000 families. Today, life has been restored in 10 cities, 3 settlements, and 30 villages, where more than 90,000 people currently reside.

The chairman also referred to the work of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group (OEWG-H) on the UN-Habitat resolution "Adequate Housing for All." He underlined that Azerbaijan, serving as Co-Chair of the Working Group together with Somalia, remains committed to actively supporting international cooperation in the field of housing.

In concluding his remarks, Guliyev stressed that the key takeaway from both the World Urban Forum (WUF13) and the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting is the same: housing policies must be based on an integrated approach, implementation measures must be inclusive, and the foundations for long-term development should be laid at the earliest stages of recovery and spatial planning.