President Ilham Aliyev reviews preparations for WUF13
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday inspected the ongoing preparations related to the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), themed “Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Communities,” which will be held on May 17–22 at the Baku Olympic Stadium.
The Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, Anar Guliyev, and the Executive Director of the WUF13 Azerbaijan Operating Company, Adil Mammadov, briefed the Head of State on the completed and ongoing work, News.Az reports, citing AZERTAC.
It was noted that the overall operational area around the Baku Olympic Stadium covers 53 hectares. Of this, 43 hectares are designated as the main event venue, while 10 hectares are allocated for the main transport terminal and parking-transfer zone. Registration, session halls, exhibition areas, media facilities, transport services, technical support, volunteer coordination, and venue services are organized within a unified operational system.
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Special zones have been allocated for high-level guests and delegations, including areas for official receptions, bilateral meetings, rest spaces, and catering services for state and government representatives.
The opening and closing ceremony hall will accommodate up to 6,000 participants. The current level of preparedness allows for managing high participant flow, multiple parallel events, and receptions for international delegations. The main discussion and side-event zone covers 3.55 hectares and includes meeting rooms, thematic sessions, UN events, parallel meetings, and bilateral negotiations, enabling multiple official and business meetings to take place simultaneously. Around 300 parallel sessions, meetings, and events are planned daily during the forum.
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in all six official UN languages, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish, as well as in Azerbaijani and Turkish. International sign language services will also be available for persons with disabilities.
More than 35 catering points will operate across the venue, both indoors and outdoors, ensuring service accessibility and efficient distribution of visitor flows.
A 2-hectare “Media Center” zone will also host round tables, special sessions, and dialogue halls. The media center includes workspaces, live broadcast and interview rooms, a press conference hall, TV studios, and a media lounge. It has a total capacity of 600 people, with space for 400 media representatives working simultaneously.
A leisure zone has been created, with its visual and architectural design inspired by the Old City (Icherisheher) and Azerbaijani carpet motifs.
For participants, the open-air WUF13 Boulevard has been established, covering 2.5 hectares. It is designed for free movement, relaxation, access to catering services, and experiencing an urban atmosphere within the venue. The boulevard also serves as a transition area to the Expo zone and a public open space.
The “Urban Expo Zone” covers 3.5 hectares and includes pavilions for countries, international organizations, state institutions, local and regional authorities, private sector entities, NGOs, foundations, and educational and research institutions. In total, 121 pavilions are planned, including 41 country pavilions.
The Flag Square, intended for official ceremonies, has been prepared with design elements inspired by fortress walls to create an urban ambiance.
An additional 10-hectare transport terminal and parking-transfer zone has been integrated into the operational area. It will manage buses, taxi services, parking, and participant flow coordination. The city’s transport exchange hubs, electric buses, taxi services, and airport transfers are integrated into the overall transport plan.
The registration area can serve up to 70 people at once and 1,000 people per hour. Separate registration desks have been provided for persons with disabilities. Registration operations have been set up by Azerbaijan’s operational team in line with the requirements of the event, ensuring phased participant flow management.
To ensure uninterrupted internet, broadcasting, and digital operations, main and backup data centers, extensive fiber-optic and internal network infrastructure, wireless systems, and a fully operational command center have been established.
It should be noted that WUF13, jointly organized by UN-Habitat and the Government of Azerbaijan in Baku, will once again draw global attention to the country. So far, 32,225 participants from 180 countries have registered, setting a new record in the history of the World Urban Forum.
At this major event, Azerbaijan will present to the international community its large-scale reconstruction and urban development model implemented in Karabakh and East Zangazur, as well as the “smart city” and “smart village” concepts applied in the liberated territories, along with the transformation of these regions into green energy zones—highlighting advanced global practices in modern urbanization and ecological restoration.
WUF13 is of special significance as it will, for the first time in the forum’s history, include a Leaders’ Summit segment in its program.
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