California recorded one of the sharpest year-over-year declines in homelessness in the nation, according to the 2025 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Editor’s note: Faig Mahmudov is a journalist based in Azerbaijan covering regional security, foreign policy, and geopolitical developments. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the official position or editorial stance of News.Az.

On May 20, a bilateral meeting was held at the Media Development Agency with the Secretary-General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, who is visiting Azerbaijan within the framework of the 13th session of the United Nations World Urban Forum (WUF13).

For much of modern history, global urban development models were largely shaped by Western industrialized countries.

“At WUF13 in Baku, Pakistan showcased its largest riverside city project and called on international investors to collaborate,” Fatima Ali Khan, Director Special Initiatives, CSR & Diversity at Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) under the Government of Punjab, Pakistan, told.

Housing for all continues to be a key global issue, with debates centered around inclusive policies, affordability, and sustainable urban development.

Azerbaijan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have discussed the next phase of expanding the country’s urban transport network, ADB President Masato Kanda said on social media, News.Az reports, citing local media.

More than 770,000 people were living in shelters or outside in the United States in January, according to an annual federal report on homelessness by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.