As part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), which will be held in Baku on May 17–22, the WUF13 Festival is being organized in various cities across Azerbaijan to raise public awareness about this significant international event. Following Quba, Lankaran, Gabala, and Sheki, the festival’s next destination was the city of Mingachevir on May 6.

Within the framework of the festival, an awareness session dedicated to WUF13 was held during the first half of the day at Mingachevir State University. The session brought together the university’s academic staff and students, as well as media representatives.

The event began with the performance of the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan, followed by a one-minute silence in honor of the martyrs.

Deputy Head of the Department for Socio-Economic, Architecture-Construction Issues and Urban Economy of the Mingachevir City Executive Authority, Head of the Architecture and Construction Sector Etibar Abdullayev, representative of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture Ramiz Idrisoglu, and Communications Manager of “WUF13 Azerbaijan” Operating Company Emin Huseynzade delivered speeches and provided detailed information about WUF13.

In his speech, Etibar Abdullayev spoke about the history of Mingachevir, the city’s stages of development, and its master plan.

Ramiz Idrisoglu highlighted Azerbaijan’s development progress and noted that the planned development of cities is based on a systematic approach. He emphasized that within this approach, the human factor, social welfare, and territorial balance are always prioritized. It was noted that the foundation of the country’s modern urban planning policy is based on the existing legislative framework and urban planning documents currently being prepared by the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture to ensure the balanced development of cities and villages. To date, master plans for 67 out of 79 cities in the country have been approved, while work on the remaining plans is ongoing.

Emin Huseynzade encouraged young people to actively participate in WUF13 events. During his speech, he provided detailed information about the WUF13 Festival and highlighted the significance of the Forum for Azerbaijan, as well as the key events of particular interest to youth within the Forum program.

The WUF13 Festival will continue at 18:00 with a public outdoor program. Through interactive activities, educational games, presentations, and public discussions, the program will introduce a broad audience to topics such as sustainable urban development, inclusive urban environments, innovative urban solutions, and the cities of the future. In addition, detailed information about the main theme and core ideas of WUF13 will be presented.