The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Afghanistan has announced that the World Urban Forum will be held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to address global housing challenges.
The agency said in a post on X on Tuesday (May 12), that Afghanistan’s housing challenges will also be discussed during the forum.
According to UN-Habitat, more than five million people have returned to Afghanistan since 2023, increasing pressure on the country’s housing sector and urban infrastructure.
The WUF is scheduled to take place from May 17 to 22 in Baku and will bring together thousands of participants, including representatives of national, regional and local governments, academics, business leaders, social activists, urban planners and civil society organizations.
The forum comes as Afghanistan faces rapid urban growth while also dealing with the large-scale return of migrants from neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, creating additional pressure on housing and urban services.
The World Urban Forum was established in 2001 by the United Nations to address rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change, and public policy.
